The America We Knew (The America We Knew 1)
by GhostfaceTV
Summary: [AU] [CR] [OC] [F/F] [CD] [DLV] Economic collapse has led to a full scale civil war. Families have been torn apart and whole cities destroyed. Tori and her ragtag group of friends must find themselves in their new lives or get swept away in the violence. Will they make it somewhere safe, and will they all survive?
1. Maybe You Can Help Me

The sun began to creep its way up outside while Tori slept soundlessly in her new apartment. A recent move from sunny California to snowy Illinois had put a little spin on her sleeping schedule due to the darker, colder weather. Most people that are born and bred southerners hate the cold and have a hard time acclimating to new areas but Tori was resilient. A new wardrobe of thick hoodies and jeans saved her baby-smooth skin from the elements and served as a boost to her fashion sense, something a lot of the boys in her building had noticed frequently. She seriously doubted they stared at her legs because her jeans were nice but she didn't mind being desired. At eighteen and five feet nine inches and a tight one hundred and twenty pounds she was definitely a looker. The only problem with the whole thing was she didn't desire them back; not because they weren't attractive, but because they were _boys _and not _girls. _Her rib-length chestnut hair and caramel brown eyes only added to the allure, along with naturally tan skin from her Latin side.

Tori had come to terms with her homosexuality as a young teen, something her parents were very supportive about but her sister found to be 'disgusting.' Trina wasn't the nicest person in the world and Tori could usually count on her for most things but when it came to relationship advice and gossip they usually passed on the dialogue. More than a few boys had come and gone through their house during the high school years since Trina could never keep a relationship for more than two weeks, but Tori wasn't the kind of person to throw something in someone's face just because they did so to her.

Around seven forty five the light of the day made its way inside Tori's room, painting her face with the warm, glowing reminder she needed to get up and get ready for work. The record store didn't open until nine but with the condition of the roads in the morning as well as the traffic it never hurt to be ready a little early. Tori slipped out from under the warm covers and made her way to the bathroom to mime her daily routine. She finished up with an outfit consisting of a too-short 'This Town Needs Guns' shirt that showed off the definition of her abs and a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her hips tightly. A squirt of perfume and her jacket were the last of the image and once she was ready she stepped out into the cold, waiting for the car to warm up as thin billows of smoke surrounded her face from her breathing.

The record store was about a ten minute trip from her place, fifteen if you left at the wrong time of the morning. Two intersections separated the apartment from the store but they were both major points of interest in that part the city, housing everything from the post office for their area to a popular bar that featured a ton of bands. Traffic jammed up in both of these spots pretty regularly so planning ahead was necessary if you wanted to get anywhere on time. Tori was lucky this morning to miss the jam of the first intersection and only had to wait a few minutes at the second, arriving at the strip where her store was located at around eight thirty.

A coffee shop sat two doors to the right and the sole barista happened to be Tori's best friend, Marie. She was nineteen, stood a couple inches shorter than Tori but opposite in almost every way, with wavy blonde hair and electric blue eyes. Add a soft layer of pale skin and she was your perfect Nazi Germany model. They had known each other since the day after Tori had moved to Chicago and pretty much immediately became friends. Their love of sugary drinks brought them together but the seemingly endless amount of small things they had in common made them almost inseparable, and their physical night and day differences gained them a lot of looks on the street. They hung out on breaks and at lunch, then usually went somewhere together after work to waste some time. The city wasn't as big as L.A but there was still plenty to do, from movie theaters to museums and everything in between, though Marie wasn't really a fan of the arts.

Tori's co-worker, Matthew, was already at the store by the time she'd arrived and had opened everything up. Matthew was twenty three and went to a local college for Media Arts and Music Production. He was shorter than most guys at five six and pretty skinny, so his natural progression was one of Pacifism. He was knee deep in CD's when she came through the door and her presence sparked a smile. Tori smiled back and went into the staff area to punch in and put her coat away then headed back out to help set up for the day.

"Hey girly, what's good?" asked Matthew once she reappeared.

"Not much. Would have liked a little extra sleep this morning."

"Out partying again?" he asked, smirking as he continued to restock the shelves.

"Oh yeah, you know me. Went to the club, got some free drinks then took a couple guys home with me." Tori shook her head and smiled at the riotous laughter that erupted from the other side of the store, rolling her eyes gently before setting up the cash register with a fresh drawer. "I sleep so much better when there's a pair of strong, muscular arms around me."

"You're somethin' else, kid" said Matthew, taking his now empty box to the store room. "No wonder you have people lining up to take you out."

"You trying to butter me up?" Tori asked.

"Well, the trash does need to go out." Matthew's voice trailed away as he walked to the back of the store.

"You're such a gentleman."

Nine o'clock rolled around and Tori unlocked the front door, not surprised that there was already a few people waiting outside to get in. Apparitions had a new album dropping that day and she was pretty sure they would do some decent business on it, seeing as how they'd had posters plastered all over their windows for the better part of two months. Five people shuffled in as soon as the door opened and grabbed their copies then headed straight back out, and this pattern repeated for the better part of the first three hours of the morning. A steady flow of business is great for making the time pass, and when Tori finally looked up at the clock she realized it was break time.

At lunch Tori punched the clock so she could head outside and meet Marie, Matthew having just got back from his lunch break. They passed in the staff room and he mumbled out a 'see ya later' with a mouth half full of sandwich. The staff room had a second door on the opposite wall that led to a service hall where product suppliers could hit stores easily without disrupting the flow of traffic. Each store in the strip had a door that led here and the hallway itself had a door on the far right side which opened up to a grassy area with a picnic table. Tori usually headed out this way at lunch to hang out with Marie and get the scoop on the town since Marie was privy to all kinds of conversations. Politicians talking about campaigns, store managers talking about profits and teachers talking about bad students and bad pay. A lot of interesting things could be heard around the coffee counter.

When Tori made her way through the door to the outside area Marie was already sitting at the table with a lit cigarette, staring off toward the tree line at the back of the strip.

"I thought you quit?"

Marie turned and blew smoke out of her nose. "I thought I did too, but working in that damn closet by myself all day makes me go nutty. Morning rush is a solid four hours of just getting pounded, but I told myself I would bend over and take it like a woman so I'm giving myself a little help along the way." She took the last hit of her cigarette and flicked it towards the butt can but missed by a couple inches.

"You sound like you should be working on a dock." said Tori through a smile, twisting open a fresh Dr. Pepper.

"Yeah well at least at the coffee shack I have a counter separating me from the customers. They can ogle all they want but they can't reach me. Working at a dock, I'd have to kick some wholesale ass."

"Those guys are pretty big, you'd have to put up your A game."

Marie laughed. "I would but I get looked at by your troops more than the others."

"Jesus Marie it's not like we all belong to some secret club or something." said Tori exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at the knowingly playful joke at her sexuality. "Besides, you should feel good about that. Lesbians are pretty picky."

A smile pulled at Tori's lips and she was reminded of when she had first met Marie six months prior, a strong urge to see if she was straight was the driving force behind their first conversation. Tori walked up and introduced herself at the library one Wednesday afternoon when they had run into each other on the fiction floor. Marie was looking for some murder mysteries and Tori was satiating her love of classics with another read through of Carmilla when she got the idea to use that as a tool for her interrogation. She asked Marie if she'd read the book that was about a female vampire with a lesbian affliction but the reaction she received at the word lesbian was all she needed to know that Marie didn't play for their team. She was used to most of the girls she struck an interest in being straight so the moment didn't shake her too much.

"I guess you're right, maybe I should get some more low-cut shirts." Marie beamed her pretty white smile and stretched her limbs before getting up to brush off her backside. "When is this shit gonna stop? It's almost April, it shouldn't be snowing anymore."

"I don't know but I'm looking forward to some dry weather myself." Tori took a sip of her drink and replaced the cap, watching cars circle in and out of the strip mall as people continued on with their daily lives. "I heard it's supposed to warm up a little in a week or two, maybe some of this will melt."

"Hopefully. Alright lady, I gotta hit it. I'm cutting loose early today so I can turn in some assignments I fell behind on, call me when you get out." Marie grabbed the door handle and pulled, standing off to the side to hold the door open for Tori.

"OK, I should be out around four or five. Any idea on what you wanna do tonight?" Tori asked, passing through the doorway into the hall and looking over her shoulder for an answer.

"Nah, we'll wing it" said Marie.

"Alright, see you later."

A lot of times the weeknights would find Tori and Marie at a local club called Subterranean. The bouncer was a friend of Marie's family so he let the girls in even though they were underage, and for free at that. They cut straight to the front of the line and waltzed right in like they owned the place and that only served to get all of the eyes in club on them. Marie basked in the attention but Tori didn't care for it as much, usually just ordering a drink and heading up to the balcony to watch the dance floor pulse to the music. A few guys would come around and offer to buy her another drink or banter playfully about whatever they could muster but she casually shrugged them off with a smile. Marie would eventually find her way around after a couple drinks and brush off whatever men surrounded Tori by announcing very loudly that she likes "the other white meat." This realization only strengthened some guys' resolve to get to know her but Marie being protective of her friend made sure they scattered at a quick pace.

Thursdays were usually a pretty quick work day. 'Mind the gap' as some people called it, something that usually made Tori's thoughts wander to a place they shouldn't while at work. Occasionally Matthew would catch her stealing a look at a pretty girl and he would make it known to her that he saw, something that made her blush scarlet every time. He was never rude about it but would mostly just convey his thoughts on the girl in question and dream up some fake date scenario with Tori and the girl, centered around what he thought she would be like based on her outfit and general demeanor. Most of the time they were pretty hilarious but a few of them made her a little uncomfortable with how much he guessed correctly on her preferences in bed.

Back in the store Matthew was busy setting up a new display for another Rolling Stones box set that was coming out the next month. Since it was a record store there was usually music playing in the background all day while they worked with them taking turns putting different albums on throughout the day but at that moment the news was on the flat screen mounted to the wall in the video section. Governor Jennings was in the middle of a press conference detailing the rise in military presence in major cities.

"Today we are at threat level Orange. While I can't get into the specifics of why and how at this time, I can assure the citizens of Illinois that we will do everything in our power to make sure everyone stays safe. Over the next few days we'll be testing out all of our security protocols; this means routine testing of severe weather sirens and fire drills at government buildings. We ask that everyone do their part to help out by going along with the tests as you would any other time and if you have questions you can call the capitol building during business hours. There's no real cause for alarm to the public at this time so please try to keep the speculation to a minimum, we don't want to get a hornet's nest buzzing over something that might not be true."

The address continued on but the bell on the front door which signaled customers sounded and broke Tori out of her TV trance. A stunning brunette in baggy Adidas sweats and a matching hoodie walked in slowly while she took in the store around her. Her dark brown hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders and her caramel colored eyes looked in wonder at all of the posters on the walls. Tori looked the girl over once, twice and then snapped out of it when she remembered she had a job to do. She walked behind the counter and punched her code into the register wordlessly before turning to the pretty girl to see if she needed any assistance.

"Hey, can I help you find anything?"

"Oh, uh, I'm kinda just looking around. Burning some time since I have the day off and was feeling a little cooped up in the house." The girl picked up a CD and looked at the art on the back, making an appreciative face before replacing it.

"Good deal. I'm Tori, if you need anything call me over and I'll see what I can do for you." Tori smiled and put her hands in her pockets to keep from fidgeting.

The girl smiled the most beautiful smile Tori had ever seen before answering. "Thanks, I'll be sure to do that."

The girl's smile reminded Tori of someone she knew back in California. Her name was Chelsea and she lived a few doors down from Tori and her family in a valley just outside Hollywood. She was aiming to be an actress, like most people in the area, but ended up getting sucked into the tailspin of waitress and secretary jobs until she gave up hope of ever making it. Not long after Tori started Hollywood Arts, a school for performing talents, she heard of a new casting director taking headshots of potential actors to store for future reference. Unfortunately by the time she made it down to the girl's house to deliver the tip she was greeted with the news that Chelsea had overdosed on Ativan and passed away a couple days prior. Another pretty face swallowed up by the demon of fame.

Matthew brought out a couple of boxes filled with old cassette tapes that he and Tori set to work on putting in the bargain bin. Twenty five cents a piece for all of your favorite hits in a little plastic rectangle that most people didn't even own the hardware to play anymore. They shuffled through them and put what they felt would be the better sellers towards the front while Matthew pocketed some of them for himself, claiming after a look from Tori that he had an insatiable love for vintage music technology. He smirked as he tucked an old Native American ceremony cassette into his hoodie pocket and Tori just shook her head, stacking the rest of them into the shelving unit.

"Excuse me, maybe you can help me after all?" The soft, silky voice sounded from behind them and made Tori jump a little. Matthew noticed and turned his attention from the music to the girl that apparently had his coworker on edge.

"Sure, what do you need?" Tori asked, her voice cracking a little.

"Well, I've been exploring a little post-rock lately at the recommendation of a friend and I was wondering if you knew of any bands that you could let me in on?"

"Um, Six Parts Seven is my favorite band and always a good suggestion. I've also been listening to Overhead, The Albatross and Enemies a lot lately." Tori edged her way around Matthew and nodded her head for the girl to follow. She made her way to the Rock section then searched for an album, pulling it out and handing it to her. "What's your name?"

"Diana."

"I like it. Very elegant." Tori bit her lip so she wouldn't smile too wide and give herself away.

"Well so is Victoria. We could be royalty." Diana blushed a little and looked down at the CD she was holding. "'Casually Smashed to Pieces.' Nice album name."

"Yeah, it's their last one, lots of good tracks on it. You'll have to come back in sometime and let me know what you think."

"Sure. I just moved here from Washington for school so I'll be around. I've been looking for some places around here to hang out that are sort of low key, you know what I mean?"

Tori smiled and shook her head gently. "Yeah I get you. The fast pace of city life can get a little exhausting so everyone finds a spot eventually where they can just relax outside of the house."

"Maybe you can show me around sometime, if you're not too busy working?" Diana asked the question without making eye contact and bounced back and forth on the balls and heels of her feet.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I can-"

"She can always use more friends" said Matthew. "Honestly, the woman never leaves me alone. I try to tell her 'hey, I know I'm irresistible and all, but you have to get out and meet some new people.'" Matthew's interruption earned a scowl from Tori and a full blown smile from Diana.

"I _can_," Tori started again with emphasis, "take your number and text you later on. I'm supposed to be hanging out with a friend when my shift is over, you can come out with us and we'll take you to a few spots."

"Sounds good" said Diana, taking Tori's phone so she could put in her contact info and send a text to her phone. "I'll see you later then."

"Can't wait."

Diana turned on her heel after a last kind smile to Matthew and headed out to her car. As soon as the front door shut again Matthew flew up to the counter with a wicked grin.

"Did that seriously just happen?"

"Oh my god give it a rest!" Tori exclaimed, half laughing and half panicking. "Yes she's gorgeous but she's probably straighter than my sister."

"Not a chance, sweetheart. I saw the way she blushed and avoided some eye contact. There's definitely some potential pillow talk there."

Tori punched Matthew in the arm as she passed him on her way to the bathroom. "You're disgusting."

"You love it. That's why I'm your real best friend and not that skank Marie." Matthew's voice got louder towards the end of the sentence so Tori would be sure to hear it in the back of the store.

At different points throughout the day the store's business waxed and waned just like any other. The morning was always pretty slow since the usual record store market was in class and everyone else was working or staying out of the cold. During the warmer months business picked up and kids flowed in and out at all times during the day, even hanging around outside after hours to talk about music and trade information on shows and zines with other kids. Chicago's music scene thrived, and the never-ending wave of teenagers that carried on the spirit of the DIY scene were always a fountain of info on bands coming to the area. Tori tried to soak up the conversations so she could answer questions and give new recommendations to customers but it seemed like there was so much going on no one person would be able to keep track of it all.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly and two new people came in to relieve Tori and Matthew of their positions. Two girls, one named Shalane and the other Danielle, held the fort down until closing time at ten. They came in at the same time and nodded a hello without missing a beat of their conversation and Tori used that as an excuse to punch the clock and duck out as quickly as possible. She liked the other two girls enough but the endless talking got to be a bit much. Matthew seemingly thought the same as he passed Tori on the way out and winked before heading in the other direction to his house. He lived on the street behind the strip so it was just a hop skip and a jump to his place.

Tori checked her phone once she was in her car and when the screen lit up it showed the new contact screen for Diana. A rush of excitement washed over her body and the thought of a new person to hang out with charged her batteries a little. Marie might be a little hesitant to add someone to their gruesome twosome, especially since she knew Tori's preferences, but she would just have to deal with it. New faces can bring a sense of livelihood to an otherwise stagnant group of friends which definitely isn't a bad thing. A quick phone call to Marie would settle what the plan was for the night and then she would call her new acquaintance.

"Hey, you finally out?" Marie asked, popping her gum into the phone.

"Yep, what's the plan for tonight?"

"I was thinking maybe we hit Crystalline later for Thirsty Thursday. That same guy from last week is gonna DJ again so I want to see if I can get up to the box."

Tori thought about being left alone in the club while Marie made her advances on the DJ, but in her mind's eye the scene quickly changed with the beautiful brunette from the record store appearing next to her. "OK, but I met a new friend at the shop today that wants to come out with us. She's-"

"She?" Marie asked excitedly, her voice perking up an octave. "Details, now."

"It's not a date thing" said Tori quickly, clearing her throat to continue. "Her name is Diana. She's new to the city and I told her I would take her out with us tonight to show her around a bit." Tori turned the key finally to start her car and clicked her seat belt into place, fiddling with her iPod to start her driving playlist.

"Well make sure she's ready to go, we don't want to be late and have to swim through the crowd to get in."

"I will. I'm leaving now so I'll call you after I talk to her."

"Good deal, later."

The call disconnected and Tori set her phone in the cupholder so she could put the car in reverse and angle towards home. Out of work traffic was usually pretty thick so she always had her trusty iPod with her to get through the wait times. The city bus wasn't a viable alternative really, since she spent less on gas per week than she would on a transit card and this way she had the comfort of her own car. Although she would get home a little faster by taking the bus the thought of ten minutes against the grimy public transportation scene didn't match up in her mind.

Once back at her apartment Tori changed into something fresh and brushed her hair while she sat on the couch, eyes closed in relaxation. As soon as her eyelids fell shut she saw the big brown eyes of the shy new girl she'd met that morning. Her smile flashed white as a sheet and her dimples poked into her cheeks in the cutest way that made Tori smile. She smelled like Burberry perfume and her delicate, feminine features made Tori's knees feel a little weak. Tori was coming close to a zone that had been so painful to her in the past but she couldn't help it.

After a twenty minute catnap she picked up her phone and sent a text to the new contact and waited patiently for a response. After another ten minutes her phone beeped shortly with the message.

_Yeah, that sounds good. I don't really drink so I can DD or something if you want. :) -D_

Tori smiled at the offer and was suddenly not sure what to do. She wasn't a big drinker herself, as in she had a a drink or two frequently but hardly ever enough to get her drunk. She didn't want to drag Diana along with them to a club for Thirsty Thursday if she wouldn't want to participate, so there would have to be a change of plans. Marie was probably going to complain about the last minute switch but Tori was good at talking her down when she got antsy. The phone rang into her ear twice before Marie picked up on the other side.

"So what's the deal?" she asked immediately.

"Diana doesn't drink, so I was wondering if maybe we could do something else?" Tori asked the question slowly with a hint of hindrance.

"Ugh, why do you always have to pick the weird ones? I don't know, I was looking forward to seeing Jake again. Maybe we can do something with her tomorrow night?"

"Or you can just go by yourself."

Marie was silent for a few heartbeats before she answered. "Um, OK. If you want me to."

"Well I mean you're going to be preoccupied with trying to bring the DJ home so you don't even really need me to be there, and it's not often I meet new people."

"I suppose you're right. Fine, go be a selfish bitch and hang out with your new best friend and I'll just go by myself and get raped in an alleyway since I won't be able to use the buddy system."

Tori laughed into the phone. "You're so dramatic, I swear to God. You'll be fine, call me if anything happens and I'll be there."

"OK, have fun. I'll call you later if I strike out so you can give me the scoop."

"Looking forward to it. Bye."

Back in California, where the weather was always nice no matter what time of year it was, Tori and her group of friends would usually spend the days after school hanging out at one of their houses watching movies and playing games, or practicing parts for school plays or acting auditions. Tori was a singer of significant talent and received much praise from her peers but it didn't really seem like a plausible career to her. She was more interested in living locally somewhere, having friends she could go to open mic nights with and just live a low key existence instead of being plastered all over the media. The rest of her friends were different in that aspect and constantly geared everything they did towards getting their images out there, something Tori wasn't upset to be away from these days.

Her initial move was to get away from the Hollywood craze and go somewhere that offered a different city experience. Chicago was full of culture and energy that seemed more positive than Hollywood, since so many people in her hometown were only there to try and start acting or singing careers and their attitudes definitely hung a gray cloud over the area. When they arrived and realized it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought, taking server and catering jobs really knocked them down a peg and their sour moods spread like the plague.

Naturally trying to find friends in a new city isn't the easiest thing in the world since it takes a while to figure out where like-minded people congregate and then put yourself there in a smooth but purposeful way. A lot of subsets hung out in their own areas of the city, such as Little Mexico and Highland Park, but the niche sets were a little harder to find. Tori was searching for people that liked film and music but weren't too high energy and big on taking risks, especially ones that broke the law. She drank, sure, but it wasn't anything out of hand and she always had a DD or took a cab. The first few people she ran into that were potential friends took her on a ride one night that consisted of robbing a house and smoking meth. She quickly lost those peoples' numbers. After that she hung around a few coffee shops in her area and ended up becoming best friends with Marie. Not even two weeks after they started hanging out she got her job at the record store and Matthew became part of the equation and the three of them became a little trio on the weekends.

Tori decided to put on some music and keep the energy going instead of drooping off like she usually did after her shift. The thought of what she and Diana would do now that the club wasn't an option stuck to the front of her mind and she went through their options one by one. Library. Movie theater. Movie at home. Walk in the park. Dinner and ice cream. All of her ideas sounded like dates, though, and she wasn't sure how that would make Diana feel. She wasn't even sure how it made her feel. Eventually armed with the realization that they would end up doing nothing at all if she didn't send another text Tori grabbed her phone and fired one off.

_Well I talked to Marie and she's gonna go the club alone, so we're free to do something else. Anything in mind? -Tori_

It only took a few minutes this time to receive a response.

_Um, I'm not really sure what all there is to do around here since I've only been here two weeks. -D_

_We can go to the movies if you want, or go for a walk and get some coffee or ice cream. -Tori_

_How about both? -D_

Tori felt herself getting excited over the apparent eagerness of her new friend. She was just as happy about finding someone new to hang out with herself and having the other party show as much enthusiasm was a good feeling. Not that hanging out with Marie all the time was a bad thing, but she was very set in her ways and interests. Tori tried to get her to go to museums and art exhibits all the time but Marie insisted that it was all 'hipster garbage' and constantly refused to go. Diana on the other hand seemed like the cultured type and that made Tori all the more giddy about their possible new friendship.

_OK, where do you live? The theater is between Broadway and Holton, about six blocks from the record store. -Tori_

_I'm actually right around the corner from it. Meet you there at 6:30? -D_

_Sure, can't wait! -Tori_

After cementing their plans Tori figured she should probably take a shower if she was going to be sitting so close to Diana for a while. The record store wasn't a particularly demanding job but on certain days when stock came in or shelves needed to be rotated there was a lot of bending and squatting which worked up a sweat. She set her phone on the table and headed into her bedroom to try to pick out something to wear, deciding on a white turtleneck, turquoise jeans and some light brown boots. It took about forty five minutes to shower and get dressed again, counting time to fix her makeup and dry her hair. One thing you learn quickly about living in cold climate is not leaving the house with wet hair.

The nervousness of the "date" made Tori's stomach squirm a little bit so she decided to get a little bit of a base in her before she left the house. A quick grilled cheese usually did the trick with its gooey goodness and bread to expand and hold a steady spot. When she was a kid grilled cheese was one of her favorite comfort foods since it had all of the things she liked; cheese, warmth and minimal effort. The iPod continued playing in the background while she cooked, switching from Katy Perry to Gwen Stefani as she flipped her sandwich in the pan. When it was done she wolfed it down quickly and set out for her car, hoping the time she allotted would be enough to get her there when she needed to be.

Chicago traffic in the afternoon was like one of those many-headed beasts you hear about in ancient mythology. You leave early, trying to cut off one head, but several thousand other people also leave early, allowing one of the other heads to bite you in the ass on your way out. Tori tried to cover most of her bases by checking the traffic report and searching some real-time maps to see what the side streets looked like, wondering if they'd be viable shortcuts. The problem with so many people in one area is you're bound to find quite a few that think the same way you do, so assuming you have the upper hand by attempting to use shortcuts and workarounds usually ends up taking longer than the normal route, since so many others figured the same thing.

Tori hit the twenty two hundred block of Holton at about six twenty, giving herself ten minutes to find a place to park. Luckily it was Thursday and not Friday, and after six most of the people that work in the area are gone. She found a spot nearly a block away from the theater and parked, hopping out quickly to speed down the sidewalk and arrive on time. When she made her way around the corner to the front entrance she spotted Diana waiting patiently outside, twisting gently back and forth with her hands in her pockets. She wore a black fleece and dark blue skinny jeans with a pair of black clogs, her hair laying across the right side of her neck in a lazy ponytail. Tori sucked in a breath at the sight of the effortlessly gorgeous brunette before taking the final few strides forward, biting her lip in anticipation of speaking.

"Hey you."

Diana turned to face Tori and smiled at the sight of her. "Hi." She looked down at the thin, sparkly watch on her right wrist and huffed out a laugh. "Right on time."

"I try to be punctual" said Tori, attempting to hide her mild blush. "Next showing for everything is at six fifty, that gives us twenty minutes to figure out what we want to watch and grab some things from the snack bar if you want."

"OK. They're doing a special screening of Akira Kurosawa's _Seven Samurai _in the back theater. There probably won't be a ton of people there, and if you haven't seen it you really should."

Tori had that film's Criterion Collection release in her bedroom at that moment. "Yeah, uh, that sounds good to me." She searched Diana's face for something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but the smile she received almost led her to believe Diana knew what she was doing. They turned together and walked through the front doors, stopping at the ticket counter to grab their passes. Tori looked over at the snack bar menu and back to Diana. "Do you want anything?"

"Only if you let me buy" she replied, pulling a few bills out of her back pocket. "You bought the tickets, you can at least let me buy the milk duds."

"Art House and chocolate? You really know the way to a girl's heart."

Diana donned a look of surprise and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Tori's heart slammed in her chest while her brain screamed at her. _What did you do? _She wrung her hands out to relieve a bit of tension before stepping up into the line for the snack bar with Diana at her side.

"Yeah well, it's probably due to my obsession with Disney princesses as a child."

Tori was floored. This seemingly perfect woman in front of her had everything in common with her on top of being drop dead gorgeous. She was able to talk about culture if she wanted to, and knowing that Diana was schooled in that area and could respond appropriately made her even more attractive. Beautiful caramel eyes and chestnut locks were only the front to a moon pool of intelligence and curiosity. Her heart started to fluctuate more than usual and an overwhelming sense of nervousness almost threatened to buckle her knees. It was like she was carrying both of their nerves all in one basket and it was more than she'd ever had to handle. She looked into Diana's eyes and swore she could feel two separate swings of emotion, one on top of the other, strengthening each other.

"We seem to have quite a bit in common right off the bat. You sure you didn't do your homework on me before you came out tonight?" Tori joked, staring down at her feet with a smile, trying to brush off some of the extra pressure.

Diana's blush deepened and she played with her hair, resolving to not answer. The two women stood next to each other for about five minutes as the line grew shorter, eventually leaving them at the front of the counter to grab their goodies. They each got chocolate and small Cokes for which Diana paid as per their agreement, then they headed to the back screen at the far end of the hallway to find some seats. As assumed, the theater was empty aside from one other person who sat square in the middle of the arrangement. Tori and Diana found seats in the middle of the back row, sitting directly side-by-side. They brushed hands quickly while getting comfortable, an accident that had each of them burning up internally. Tori's eyes flicked up to Diana's in time with an apologetic smile that was returned in kind, but no words were spoken.

The previews started and the two of them answered all of the trivia questions, either nodding appreciatively or grimacing at the trailers for new movies set to come out that summer. A mushy love story with an unrealistically attractive cast, sporting washboard abs and perfect smiles, was set to hit theaters in mid June. Part of the picture was filmed south of Navy Pier on the Blue Line route. Tori had seen camera crews hustling and bustling through the streets once when she and Matthew had hit Michigan Ave on a weekend to find some fine dining establishment, just to see what all the fuss was about. Matthew had to wear a coat and tie and Tori broke out the diamond earrings she'd gotten from her mom for Christmas when she was sixteen. The food was OK but it definitely wasn't worth the one hundred and twenty dollar bill.

A theater employee poked his head into the screening room, seemingly to come in and check tickets, but when he saw the emptiness and the movie slated to play on the screen he seemed to lose interest, turning to leave as quickly as he came. As soon as the door shut the overhead lights dimmed and the little bulbs on the sides of the aisles lit up. The girls' conversation died down as the first scene began and they were quiet for the remainder of the film. A few times Tori caught herself sneaking peeks of Diana out of the corner of her eye, and once she thought that Diana had noticed, making her sit up a little straighter and clear her throat out of anxiety. Since they sat next to each other they had to share the mutual arm rest in the middle which made for an awkward turn-taking situation. Each girl was too polite to take it for themselves and would offer it to the other, often running into each others words. The third time it happened Diana broke out into a giggle which received an angry 'shh' sound from the other person in the theater, leaving Tori to roll her eyes with a smile.

Tori had gotten Whoppers while Diana had gotten Milk Duds, and at about the half way point Tori nudged the girl next to her and offered to share what she had. Diana licked her lips and looked down at her shoes, eventually shifting to the side so she could face Tori. She reached over and grabbed Tori's wrist gently causing Tori to jump, then pulled it towards her with her palm facing upward. Tori quickly gathered what was happening and started to breathe again when she had some chocolate dumped into her hand and she closed her fingers around it, whispering a quiet thanks. The exchange had both of their heartbeats racing for the rest of the film.

Once the film came to an end the man in front got up quickly and left without looking at the girls, earning a laugh from each. They stood up and headed for the door as well, disposing of their empty sweet packages on the way. The lobby area was pretty full as a couple other movies had ended at roughly the same time and their patrons were filing through the door to head out, probably to go home for the night. It was rounding eight thirty by the time they had gotten outside and the sun was quickly fading behind the large buildings on the block. Tori swung her arms back and forth aimlessly as she and Diana stood in front of the theater, not sure how to initiate the next part of the evening.

"Hey, didn't you say something about going to the park?" Diana asked.

"Yeah, we can do that if you want."

"Well it's just since I'm from Washington I'm used to lots of huge forest area and big open spaces and stuff, and the idea of a park in the middle of a city like this kind of intrigues me."

"Hah, the idea of a couple hundred square miles of forest or just nothing intrigues me." Tori nodded her head to her right signaling Diana to follow her to her car and the two of them set off.

Tori drove them to Highland Park and they ditched her car along the east side to get out and walk. It was mostly dark by that time and the park wasn't really the best place to be at night but the usual insecurities weren't on her mind at that time. Diana followed right along side her step by step and looked around with wide eyes, taking in the peculiar sight of big areas of grass and trees in the middle of a metropolitan city. Tori was amused at the look of awe on Diana's face, but more she was warmed by the feeling of nostalgia she sensed in her from this comfort of home. She'd often thought of what going home to L.A to visit would be like but didn't plan on actually doing it for quite some time, and the look in her new friend's eyes at the simple pleasure of familiarity made her want to pull that trip date a little closer.

They came upon a bench about fifteen minutes into their walk and Diana made a bee line for it, sitting on the end and patting the spot next to her for Tori to join. They sat in silence and listened as the crickets came out to serenade the population as they did every night. Tori had been here a couple of times before but she always came by herself, a sort of getaway from everything that stressed her out in her everyday life. It was nice to be able to share something personal with someone, even though Diana didn't know how it personal it really was. A lot of nights in the summer/fall you would find families and pets running around playing catch and whatever else it is families do. A lot of college kids studied there during the day since it was outdoors and had good lighting, and fortunately wasn't far from a strip of eateries. When it got dark, though, you had to either watch your back or get out of dodge pretty quick. The warmer months had groups of unsavory people hanging around pushing drugs or girls, or worse, looking for fights. Tori had witnessed a group of guys beating up an adult male, for what reason she didn't know, but she did notice that he didn't get up after they were done. An ambulance showed about ten minutes later but Tori left before she ever found out what became of the man.

"So." Diana turned in her seat and crossed her legs at the knee. "All I really know about you is that you work at the record store and you like art house films, so help me fill in the blanks. Boyfriend? School? Hobbies?" Diana stared with wide eyes, anticipating the answers.

"Um, I was thinking of going to school for Media Arts or something like that and maybe working as a club promoter. I really like my job at the record store though so I'm hoping it won't be too hard to schedule classes around my work days. You mentioned movies, that's a big thing for me. And music obviously. And I, uh, I've never had a boyfriend." Tori chewed on her bottom lip as blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Really?" Diana asked, surprise obvious in her tone. "A girl like you? I find that hard to believe."

"Well I," Tori began, pausing quickly to debate whether she wanted to divulge this information so early, "I'm gay."

"Oh, I guess that explains it then" said Diana with a laugh.

Tori blew out a breath of relief. "You took that a lot better than I thought you would."

"Did you expect me to turn into some three-headed demon and spit fire at you as I ran away?" Diana nudged Tori playfully in the ribs with her elbow.

"Yeah actually, I did. It's happened to me a few times before."

"Well that's stupid, those people don't deserve you as a friend if they act that way. What about girlfriends, then?"

"I've had two. One when I was a freshman that made me keep it a secret and another about two years ago."

Diana scrunched her nose. "Why did she make you keep it a secret? If I were her I'd want to show you to everyone." She quickly became quiet when she realized what she'd said.

"What about you?" Tori asked, changing the subject quickly to keep herself from spilling everything on the first day. She felt really comfortable with Diana and when Tori was comfortable, she liked to talk.

"I'm starting Columbia next fall, wanted to take a year off and relax a bit before jumping into college. I figured I would come live out here for that time so I could get used to the city and find my way around before I start school and make things easier on myself. I'm the same as you with music and movies, and I also really like photography. Other than that, I had a boyfriend named Adam for a few years but he got really upset when I told him I was coming here for school and decided to break up with me before we could talk anything out." Diana trailed off at the end and went silent, leaving Tori to pick up the conversation where she left off.

"If he's ignorant enough to let someone like you go then he must not be very bright." said Tori, shaking her head in disbelief. She felt a surge of anger inside of her, like she was really upset that someone had hurt her friend, but also like she was hurt by someone close to her.

Diana looked at Tori in disbelief, her eyebrows raking her hairline. After a few moments Tori looked back up and saw Diana's expression, immediately regretting her choice of words.

"I'm sorry, that was super rude. I don't know anything about him and for me to say that was way out of line, I'm really sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"No, it's uh, it's OK." said Diana softly, clasping her fingers together between her knees. "Well it's getting kinda late and I know you have to work in the morning so we can call it a night, if you want. I'll take the bus from here so you can start getting home."

"Are you sure? I can take you home."

"No it's fine, I'm gonna need to get used to taking the bus and stuff at night some time. Might as well start now."

"Alright. Be careful please. A girl as pretty as you needs to have something to defend herself." Tori realized she wasn't carrying a purse or any kind of bag that could hold mace or a stun gun.

"Yeah, some big strong guy might sweep me off my feet. Or some suave girl, you never know."

Tori's eyes were wide and she felt like if she opened her mouth to speak she would either laugh or throw up, or both. Diana noticed the look on her face and instantly looked fearful.

"I'm sorry, I guess I don't really know you well enough to make those kinds of jokes yet, do I?"

"No, it's OK. Really." Both of the girls laughed at the same time. "New friendships, huh?"

"I guess so" said Diana with a shrug. "We'll get the hang of it, I have hope for us."

Tori felt her heart skip a beat. "You do?"

"Definitely. I have your number, so I'll call you this weekend and maybe we can do this again."

"Sure thing."

Diana turned from the bench and walked towards the bus stop across the street. Tori could have sworn she shook her hips a little more than necessary but she wasn't entirely sure. The park had quieted down for the most part as the air turned colder with the loss of sunlight and the couples strolling around returned to their homes. Traffic still flowed steadily but the noise seemed far away to Tori, who was sitting back on the bench with her eyes closed and a smile that didn't seem to want to go away. Today was the first time in months that she had met a girl that she really clicked with on all levels instead of just a few. Diana seemed like the kind of person she could get enveloped in easily, which scared and excited her at the same time. Work the next day would be interesting with the visions of that night swimming through her mind.


	2. Keep Your Eyes Open

Friday morning came swiftly with the promise of another busy work day. Tori got out of bed grudgingly and turned the TV on to the news so she could listen in while she got ready, but the local newscast for that morning was unprecedented. A deep voice that was obviously not the normal, bubbly blonde anchor filled the room and caught her attention so she stopped and turned towards the flatscreen to see what was going on.

" (...) and more riot-like gatherings have broken out in some parts of the west coast. President Jennings addressed the nation again last night and reminded viewers to 'be vigilant in these times and to prepare for the worst.' The stock market hasn't crashed like this since 1987 and the fear of losing everything has brought out a madness in many people."

Tori felt a little ball of panic burn hotly in her stomach at the images on the screen. Large groups of people were descending on the downtown areas of their cities, looting stores and setting car fires. Many people were fighting in the streets and gunshots were heard more than a couple times. A camera crew had witnessed a woman stabbing a man in broad daylight to take his car after hers had seemingly been torched or stolen and no one around her even hinted at making a move to stop her.

"More pockets of violence are springing up every day and the growth rate doesn't seem to be slowing down any. This network would like to advise viewers to stock up on provisions ASAP and stay inside if at all plausible. We're very realistically on the verge of a full scale, country-wide riot and everyone here at KLIP wishes for your safety and the return of the market in a timely manner. Stay tuned for your local forecast."

The images of street brawls and looting quickly vanished and left Tori standing shaken in the middle of her living room. Apparently the stock market had bottomed out and people were starting to panic and cause disturbances. What had happened to cause this in the first place? There wasn't a whole lot of information on the subject other than what the CNN ticker at the bottom of the screen held, saying that the DOW had closed down two thousand points and not a single other stock had closed with a profit. The odd video clip here and there showed business executives like those of Goldman-Sachs leaving their posts and flying out of the country with their families in tow, most likely heading to some tropical island where the fate of the US was out of their worry.

Time was running short and Tori knew that she couldn't let the news scare her so she threw on her jacket and headed out. Her phone beeped softly, reminding her that she had forgotten to charge it the night before so she plugged it into the car charger to give a boost on the drive to work. When it turned back on it beeped again with the notice of a new text message so Tori grabbed it quickly to check.

_You see the news? I hope our families are OK. -D_

The text suddenly made Tori fearful that her family could be in real danger. Surely if something big was going on it would burn white-hot in a place like Hollywood. A lot of people from the surrounding areas would flood in to loot the stores in the area and put the residents in danger, meaning her family could be injured or possibly worse if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being thousands of miles away didn't really help her anxiety but Tori managed to calm herself down with the reminder that her father was a police officer and would be well equipped to keep them safe. A quick flick of the wrist and her car roared to life, kicking cold air into her face since the heater hadn't warmed up yet. Outside a few dumpster dogs, rats the size of which you wouldn't believe unless you saw with your own eyes, scurried from behind one dumpster to another. No matter where you lived in the city these critters were a part of the landscape same as buildings.

Tori pulled forward, careful not to run over any of the rats, and headed towards work once more. She thought of texting Diana some words of encouragement but every time she thought of what the message she'd received said she couldn't help but get lost in thoughts of her family being hurt. It wasn't Diana's fault of course, she had actually done Tori a favor by opening her mind to that part of the reality of the situation, reminding her to call her parents and keep an eye on the developments on the west coast. It's easy to forget that your family isn't easily accessible after you've been away from home for a while. She grabbed her phone and recorded a voice note to remind herself to call her mom that afternoon and set the time for five o'clock.

As usual Matthew was already at the store and setting up for the day when Tori arrived. Another man in tan khakis and a black collared shirt was standing next to him with a clipboard and a scanning device, and Tori assumed he was a delivery man. A few large boxes sat unopened next to the counter in the middle of the store so she decided to clock in early and get to work. Matthew finished signing for the stock and grabbed a box himself, heading towards the entertainment section to shelve some DVDs.

"Hey lady, did you get lucky last night?"

"Seriously? We _just _met, who do you think I am?"

"Obviously I had you mistaken for someone mysterious and exciting." Matthew smiled at his joke, knowing Tori was giving him a dirty look on the other side of the store. "So if you didn't get tongue twisted, what did you do?"

"It really is no wonder why you don't have a girlfriend." said Tori while she restocked a few copies of Mariah Carey's greatest hits.

"Answer the question, harlot."

"We went to the theater on Holton and watched _Seven Samurai _and then we went to Highland Park for a little bit."

"Did you hold hands in the theater or at least make out in the park?" Matthew asked, poking his head over the racks like a kitten.

"You need a hobby or something. Your interest in my sex life is crass and exhausting." Tori finished her first stock box so she broke it down and tossed it on the floor by the staff room door, rounding back to the counter to grab the remaining box.

"Your sex life is my hobby" said Matthew, reaching up on his tip-toes to slide a DVD into the top shelf. "I mean, if I was a gorgeous teenage lesbian I would be interested in my own sex life, but alas."

Tori was used to the way Matthew spoke and smiled at the purposeful compliment. "Well thank you for that, but I promise you, nothing interesting to you is going to happen, at least for quite a while if at all, and when and if it even does, I won't tell you about it anyway."

Matthew slumped his shoulders and waved a dismissing hand towards her. "Well phooey."

"Love you too, buddy."

Matthew had had a girlfriend when Tori first started working at the shop but their union wasn't exactly the strongest. A few times she had stormed into the store looking for him, demanding to know if he was there or not to prove if he was lying about his work schedule to go out and see someone else. Matthew would walk in from the back and huff out a defeated breath, knowing that he would be in for a fight when his shift was over. Chelsea, that was her name, would cross her arms matter-of-factly across her chest like she was waiting for him to say something but Matthew would just shrug his shoulders blankly, not sure what she wanted to hear.

Obviously by finding him at work she had proven herself wrong that he was out gallivanting with some other woman, until she decided that he was probably working more to be with Tori. Tori looked her square in the eye one day and told her that she was gay but Chelsea assumed in her naturally negative nature that she was lying to cover it up. A few days after that incident Matthew came into work with the news that he had finally mustered up the gusto to break up with her, news that was happily accepted by Tori.

Lunch time came around and Matthew and Tori decided to punch out together and close the shop up for a half hour, making a quick run to the other side of the strip mall to a Subway that sat on the far left end. They ordered a foot long veggie on 9 grain wheat to share and Matthew paid, after much insisting that Tori let him. Back on the other end they were a couple bites in when Marie made her appearance out back, lighting up a cigarette as soon as the door shut behind her. She looked a little worse for wear and Tori suddenly realized that she hadn't bothered to text her the night before to ask how the club went. The makeup she wore yesterday was still on her face, albeit a little smudged and worn off, and she was wearing presumably the same outfit. She shook a little as the cold bit at her bare legs and Tori and Matthew both looked her over and then at each other, not sure of what to say at that moment.

"I know I look like shit, trust me." said Marie, not looking up from the ground as she spoke.

"What happened last night?" Tori asked, setting her food down and smacking her hands together gently.

"Well, I went to the club and everything like I told you I was going to, and Chad was there, the DJ, but things didn't really go as planned."

"Did he hurt you?" Matthew asked, taking a slow sip from his water afterward.

"Not physically, no. I went up to the podium and fought my way through the crowd of sluts that were already jammed up there to get to the front so I could see him. When he looked up and saw me he just kinda looked away real quick and went back to what he was doing, but I just figured he was engrossed in the mix and would be better once the next song started." Marie took a long drag of her cigarette and flicked the ash, then blew the smoke out and licked her lips. "A few minutes later he took a break and stepped down from his setup but when I walked up to him he kind of side-stepped me and opened his arms up to another girl. She ran up and kissed him on the cheek and then they walked off together. All of the other girls were staring me down or laughing at my obvious diss, it was so embarrassing."

Tori held a hand over her heart and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "That's awful, Marie. I'm so sorry."

"Fuck that guy, then. Not literally of course, but in tons of figurative ways. Horrible ones." Matthew donned a disgusted look and turned his head to spit, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm.

"It's OK, can't win them all I guess. It just sucked that it had to be in front of a ton of people, you know?"

"Yeah that does make it worse." said Tori, finishing up the last bite of her sandwich quickly so they could get back to work. "Do you want to stay in tonight? We can watch movies and do our nails or something girly like that to get your mind off things."

Marie smiled as she stomped the last of her cigarette into the pavement. "Yeah, that sounds good. You should invite your new friend, too. I'd like to meet this girl you were so quick to abandon me for."

"You gotta let it go. It's not like I left you in a cell at Auschwitz."

"Yeah yeah. You'll make it up to me at some point. I gotta get back, call me when you get out."

"Kay."

Marie headed back inside and Matthew and Tori grabbed up their trash to do the same. They tossed the papers into the trash can next to the door and made their way through the hall and staff room into the store, stopping at the counter to clock back in. A CD that Tori wasn't familiar with was playing over the speakers and the beat had her unconsciously swaying her hips. The song had a familiar feel to it, almost like summer nostalgia. It reminded her of the days in California when she would leave early in the morning and head to the beach with her group, arriving before it turned into a zoo so they could get good spots close to the parking lot and up by the water. Beck and Andre would set up the boombox and get some music going while Cat would lay out the blanket and Tori would set up the umbrella and position the cooler underneath it. Robbie and his puppet Rex would mostly sit in the sand and argue about some sci-fi TV show from the night before and Jade sat under the umbrella the whole time, when she actually showed up.

Jade was a complicated part of Tori's history. When she first started school Jade was always in her face, trying to make things as difficult as possible and just generally be a bitch any way she could. Tori tried to stay out of her way but after a while it seemed like Jade could always find a reason to torment her, something that got old very quickly but didn't stop. Jade was dating Beck at the time and while he tried to wrangle her Jade wasn't one to do what she was asked, or told for that matter. When the two of them broke up Jade showed up at Tori's front door a sobbing mess, and Tori being the kind of person that couldn't turn anyone away, no matter how mean they'd been to her, invited Jade inside and helped her through the ordeal.

Immediately following that weekend Jade started being nicer to Tori, but only in private. Any time they were around their group of friends Jade maintained the intolerable bitch facade she was so great at, but when they were alone on the weekends she turned into a harmless kitten that liked to, above all other things, cuddle. Tori found this out after a few Friday nights of movie marathons in her room when Jade started sleeping over, saying she was 'too tired to drive home safely.' It was obvious to Tori that something was going on but she had always held on to the small part of her that crushed on Jade in the beginning, letting the hurtful treatment she received during the week take a back seat for a couple days worth of pleasure.

When they finally kissed for the first time it was both shocking and not surprising at all to both of them. Jade had come over on a Saturday night with the excuse that she was going to the library to pull an all night study session with some friends, code for her actually going over to Tori's house to watch TV in their pajamas and eat popcorn. She made up the excuse so her parents would have something to say in case one of their friends showed up at her house without calling first, something Cat was good at doing with her impulsive behavior. Tori started some random horror movie on Netflix, knowing Jade liked them, and settled into her spot on the couch. Trina wasn't home and her parents were in bed, leaving the house to her and Jade. Half way through the movie, during a scene where the protagonist thought he was going to die and was confessing his love for a coworker Jade made her move, swinging one of her legs over to straddle Tori's lap, taking her face in both of her hands and locking lips with a fever she wasn't even aware of.

Tori gasped and Jade used the opportunity to introduce tongue to the situation, making Tori squirm in her seat. After the heated kiss broke the two of them sat and stared at each other for quite a few moments before Jade got up and settled back into her seat, a smile plastered on her face that didn't go away even in sleep. Tori slid her eyes over Jade's sleep-softened features, wondering why she couldn't be that nice all of the time instead of just when no one was watching. It would certainly have made things a lot easier, and probably forced a much different outcome to the story.

Of course, Jade made Tori promise that she would never say anything to anyone about their nights together. She went to great lengths setting up cover stories in different areas just in case someone went looking for her, an exhausting task that usually involved Tori since she needed to be versed in the excuses to make sure she didn't say something wrong and blow their cover. After a while all the work and secrecy got to her and she decided that the next time Jade showed up she would sit her down and they would take about what was going on between them, and she would make her feelings clear; she didn't like being an afterthought, and if Jade wanted to continue what they were doing she needed to be OK with that. Tori had come out and was living open with her friends and family, and her behavior with Jade was damaging to both of them.

The next weekend Jade showed up with a hidden bottle of Whiskey in her bag, pulling it out and waving it in Tori's face when they got safely up to Tori's bedroom. The girls smiled wickedly at each other and Tori grabbed some shot glasses out of a box in her closet, gifts from different airports around the world. She hurried into the bathroom to rinse them out and made her way back to set them on the desk so Jade could pour the first shots of the night. They held the small glasses filled with caramel colored liquid up in the air, kissed softly just for a second, then clinked the glasses together and threw the alcohol back, toasting to a night of sin.

Not two hours later Tori was liquored up and ready to talk so she brought Jade downstairs and out onto the side deck, shutting the heavy glass door behind them. The deck overlooked the valley and had an amazing view of the Hollywood skyline lit up in all its glory, an awe-inspiring vision that had both girls staring into oblivion for a few minutes before Tori turned to Jade with a soft hand on her shoulder. She softened her features and ran a hand through her hair, tangling it in her fingers. Jade looked on curiously as she swayed to the side a little as the booze started to affect her coordination.

"Jade, I'm tired of being in your closet. I came out of my own last year and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. I agonized over the decision for _years _before I actually did it, and being stuck in yours now is suffocating me. It's unhealthy for both of us, but especially for me. I worked really hard to get to a comfortable place with myself and the people in my life, but being stuck in the dark with you on this is bringing me down.It's making me feel bad about myself and I don't think I can do it anymore."

Jade's eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the railing of the patio with a twisted scowl on her lips. "I don't know what you want me to do about it Vega, but I _do_ know we're not gonna have some big gay pride ceremony where we come out to our parents and friends together and tell them we have this big happy lesbian relationship. I don't even know what I am. Lesbian, bi, neither. I'm not in the same spot as you. I guess I can understand how this is bad for you since you worked so hard to get to where you are but I'm not ready to do something like that."

Tori hung her head and stared down at her shoes, the realization of what was going to happen washing over her little by little. After she didn't speak for a few minutes Jade started fidgeting, apparently getting antsy about what was going to happen between them. Tori thought Jade could tell what was going to happen, maybe because it was written all over her face, or maybe because common sense said that they wouldn't be able to continue this way when they were both going different directions.

"Well obviously this isn't going to work then" said Tori, clearing her throat to make sure her voice didn't crack and show her insecurity in the moment. "I like you, Jade, and I really enjoyed all the time we've spent together lately, but I'm just not going to force myself to take a step back. I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't do it." The words came out slow and calm with a very firm backing. Tori knew what she wanted and she knew that this wasn't it, and her conviction passed through in her decision.

"Fine then Vega, have it your way. But I swear to God if you tell a soul what we did you will regret it every day for the rest of your life." Jade spat the words out with such venom that the space between the girls almost lit up a neon green, the color of poison. Traffic sounded below as the world continued to turn around the moment on the deck that was seemingly frozen in time. Neither girl moved or spoke, barely breathing.

Tori felt like she'd been punched in the gut. For months she'd been spending time with this girl, participating in such body melting intimate moments behind closed doors. They'd gone from one-sided rivals to secret lovers in the span of a weekend and the same amount of time was all it took for them to learn all of the little tricks about each other. These things flooded into Tori's brain, each one causing her physical pain. How Jade liked to be tickled behind her knees. How she thought it was cute that Tori still slept with a teddy bear and how her left breast was more sensitive than her right. Tori wrapped her arms around her mid-section as each memory landed a punishing blow, bruising her insides as well as her heart.

"If you really felt like you had to say that to me then I am incredibly stupid for thinking you actually had an emotional stake in this. If you said it just to hurt me, same thing applies. I've never done _anything _to hurt you Jade, not a single thing. But now that I'm doing something for myself, trying to make myself feel better and get back to a place where I'm comfortable, you make it about you." Tori turned and walked to the opposite side of the deck, leaning over the edge a bit while she took a few deep breaths. Once the feeling of vomit went left her throat she continued. "If you cared about me at all you would understand and support my decision, even though it is hurtful. You're not the only one losing out here, but you don't seem to grasp that. I won't tell your precious secret to anyone, so you can just go back to being the bitch you were a month ago and it'll be like this never happened. From the way you're acting right now, I probably will regret this for the rest of my life."

Jade drilled her eyes into Tori's as hard as she could, taking a few steps forward to close the gap between them. Her head swirled a little as Tori's intoxicating scent mixed with the drink that already had her a little floaty, making her unsteady on her feet, but you'd never know it with the immense amount of effort she put into standing up tall. Tori looked hurt and defeated but Jade couldn't make herself care at that moment. All she was worried about was Tori spilling their secret and making her life difficult, something that she would never be able to forgive her for. "Sounds like a plan. Too bad you couldn't just go with the flow Vega, I'm gonna miss what we had."

"Get out of my house, Jade."

And that was the end of Tori's first relationship. Not surprisingly her little spout at Jade ended up being exactly what happened from that point on, except it was much, much worse this time around. Jade wasn't just bitchy towards her, she was downright mean. She didn't miss a beat when it came to pointing out Tori's mistakes or laughing when something bad happened. Even the rest of the group seemed to notice Jade's change, but they were all too scared to ask her about it. Andre ended up cornering Tori at home about it one day to get the full story, and since he was her best friend she told him the whole story, beginning to end. Andre brought her into a hug and held her for a while as she finally got a chance to properly cry it out. After she had period of mourning with Andre Jade's offensive went from a-bombs to pin pricks, something Tori was very grateful for. Over time the novelty of putting Tori down wore off and Jade stopped talking to her altogether, leaving a bit of a void in their group that was never really filled again, and any hope of repair was gone when Tori announced she was moving away.

The rest of the afternoon at the music store went by pretty quickly since Fridays were usually pretty busy. Tori stayed in motion for the better part of the second half of the day by running the counter and changing the flyers on the windows and door while Matthew continued to stock shelves with new product. By the time Tori had finished redoing the main window of the store she realized it was four fifteen and Shalane and Danielle were coming in for the afternoon shift. They squeezed through the door side by side and separated to let a customer walk between them, rejoining immediately after without any effort at all. Danielle waved at Tori with a wide smile while Shalane continued to talk, walking with her eyes down on her cell phone.

Matthew hopped down from a step stool and hurried to the counter, punching out with record speed. He disappeared into the staff room and came back seconds later with his jacket on and keys in hand. Tori looked at him curiously as he made a mad dash for the front door, in which he spit out a quick "I'll explain later" before bursting through the door so fast he almost knocked someone down outside. Tori watched him fast walk down the strip until he was out of sight, wondering what was so urgent that her pint-sized coworker would move that fast for.  
When Shalane appeared from the staff room and clocked in at the counter Tori finally made her way up to finish out her shift, counting down her drawer and clocking out in a matter of minutes. As she put her till in the bank envelope for the night drop Shalane perked up and decided to try striking conversation.

"Hey Tor, what's up?"

"Not much, how are you?"

"I'm good, just worried about passing my shift leader stuff." Shalane shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

"Oh that's right, you're gonna be the big cheese eh?" Tori held up a finger and dashed to the back room to grab her coat, putting it on as she came back into the store.

"Yeah" Shalane continued, turning her laminate around so her name would be right side out. "Well, at least I hope so. The pay bump will be cool but I'm more looking forward to getting to deal with the distributors and stuff, that seems pretty cool."

Tori laughed. "Yeah, Jay is a cool guy for sure. Most of the time if you chat him up a bit he'll give you a free copy of whatever's coming out. I think he just likes to talk."

Shalane's face lit up at the tip. "Thanks Tor! I'm learning new stuff already."

"You'll be fine, just remember what Matthew went over with you and take it slow."

"I will, thanks again. See you around."

"I hope so." Tori waved and headed out the front door towards her car.

Across from the strip mall was a Target superstore and a few other businesses in a little circular pattern, and today the Target was completely overrun with people. Cars were lined up all the way to the street trying to pack in to the too-small parking lot, while the line to get in the door was almost as long. People stood in formation wearing coats and scarves to beat the wind for some reason unknown to Tori, but she would try and find out by switching to the local news station on AM radio. In the car she turned the key and revved the engine once, pushing some buttons on her steering wheel to tune the radio to 1490 AM.

A live broadcast was streaming through the car speakers and it sounded like there was some kind of sporting event in the background. After a few minutes of listening Tori learned that the news crew was at O'Hare where thousands of people were attempting to storm security to get on last minute flights out of the country. Planes were taking off left and right without people even being securely fastened into their seats due to the riotous situation unfolding on the property. It seemed as if the news over the past couple of days was getting worse.

"As you can see here the Delta Airlines terminal is completely blocked off. Employees ran to the luggage claim area through the back and grabbed all of the lost luggage they could find to barricade the entrance when they realized that hundreds, if not thousands, more people would be filing in one after the other. The situation is mostly the same for all of the other airlines as well with Southwest and AirTran grounding all flights completely. The police have been trying to clear out this area for hours now with no luck, but whispers of SWAT help have been spreading over about the last ten minutes so we'll see what comes of it then. We'll bring you more information as it breaks."

Rioting and looting at first, now hijackings and other desperate attempts to flee the country? Tori wasn't sure exactly what was going on but she knew that if thousands of people were really trying to storm the airport something serious was about to happen and that she should make plans to head home and be with her family. As soon as she thought about leaving, though, the faces of Matthew and Marie swam to the front of her mind, as well as Diana's. If something this bad was going down she didn't want to leave her friends, but she also didn't want to take the chance that something could happen to her family and she wouldn't be able to see them again.

As soon as she pulled into her parking lot Tori's phone rang, showing a very pretty picture of Diana's diva pose from their antics at the park on the screen. Tori answered quickly, hoping she would have some wise words to help calm her down.

"Tori?"

"Yeah I'm here, what's up?"

"I felt kinda bad throwing that text message at you earlier. I realized that you would be thinking about your family and stuff at work and that would make things difficult and I apologize, but with the stuff I've been hearing all day long I'm getting really worried."

Tori got out of her car and headed inside, kicking her shoes off and discarding her jacket on the table before sitting on the couch. "I heard what's going on at the airport right now on the radio but I don't know much else. Is it getting worse?"

"The military has been moving into some of the bigger cities like Seattle, Portland and LA. Vegas is pretty much completely shut down and from what I hear there's a mad dash to hit the center of the US." Diana tried to sound brave but Tori heard her voice waver when she mentioned both of their hometowns.

"Why the center?" Tori asked, closing her eyes as she laid back on the arm pillow.

"I guess because of all the open space. Farmland, not many people and stuff. The big cities are dangerous because of all the riots and the looting but I guess if you're out in the middle of nowhere there's not as much of a chance of getting hurt or something."

"Makes sense I guess. Have you thought about trying to make your way up to Seattle?"

"I called my mom earlier and she said they've left the city and drove to Alaska. A lot of people thought about doing that I guess but they were turned off by the extreme cold."

Tori felt like an idiot at that moment since she realized she hadn't even thought of calling her family, like phones didn't exist. "Man I need to call my parents and see what they're doing. I'm sure LA is a panic zone right now."

"Well I'll hang up so you can call them. Text me when you're done and let me know if they're OK?" The end came out as a question and even in the simplicity it made Tori's heart swell. This brand new friend of hers already cared about her family and she hadn't even met them.

"Absolutely. I think, uh, maybe we should..." Tori trailed off for a second, chewing her lip out of nervousness.

"Maybe we should stay together tonight? Since we're both alone and all. Marie has a roommate and Matthew lives with his brother so they're OK, but I think we should at least have each other in case something happens here."

The line was quiet for a minute and Tori grew more insecure with each moment that passed before Diana finally spoke up. "Yeah, I think so too. I'll stop by the store and head over now, you can use the time to call your folks and do whatever else you need to do. Is that OK?"

"Sure, sounds good to me. Don't rush though, I'm sure the cops are on high alert with everything going on."

"I won't. Do you need anything?"

Tori thought for a second before answering. "I don't know if you like coffee or not but I'm just about out, so if you want some for morning you'll want to grab a can."

"OK, I'll see you in a little bit."

"OK."

The snow that had piled up over the last couple of days was melting during the day and freezing at night, causing the familiar mud-covered chunks of frozen slush/snow mixture on the edges of the road and sidewalks. Little patches of flat green grass were starting to show in the spots where snow had melted, giving the first signs of spring approaching. Tori looked out the living room window behind the couch for a few minutes, watching cars trickle by at a snail's pace due to work traffic not having let up. Exhaust billowed up into the sky and created mini gray clouds that hung low like fog, obscuring the view any further than the other side of the street. A man walked casually around the corner with a little girl hoisted up on his shoulders, and she covered his eyes jokingly as they trudged forward. The man laughed loud enough that Tori could hear it through the small cracks in the window's insulation and the sound warmed her insides a bit, reminding her that she had a phone call to make.

Her phone was lying face down on the table in front of her and when she grabbed it she hesitated, scared that her call wouldn't be answered. Truthfully she was completely in the dark on the situation in LA at the time so any number of things could have happened to her family and friends, and she wouldn't know anything about it. The worry built up in her stomach like a ball of heat and when she wasn't able to stand it anymore she dialed her mom's cell phone number, waiting as patiently as she could while it rang. Once, twice, three times and counting. Tori finally hung up after ten rings and decided to dial the house number, thinking maybe her mom lost her phone somewhere like she usually had.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Oh God, Tori!" Her mom sounded out of breath and sick with worry. "We've been waiting for you to call. I can't find my address book that has your number in it and my cell phone was stolen a couple days go."

"Stolen?" Tori asked, curling up into a ball in the corner of the couch.

"Things have gotten really bad here, sweetie. The police have pretty much abandoned the area after people with guns started shooting anything that moved and the military is about to make an entrance into the city. The news has been kind of sporadic in the area but they've been telling everyone to stay inside if possible and draw the blinds."

"This is all because of the stock market thing, right? I don't even know what happened fully."

"Well, the market bottomed out." Mrs. Vega started, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Millions of people lost billions of dollars and their jobs. Companies have shut down and started liquidating assets the best they can to get out of the country and go somewhere safe. Silicon Valley is a ghost town just days after this whole thing hit the news."

Tori sat in awe at the news she was receiving. She couldn't believe that in just days the entire structure of America had started losing it's footing. "I saw some of the rioting on TV, how close to the house is it?"

"It's still a little ways out but people are expanding the boundaries every hour. Live coverage shows groups of people setting cars and houses on fire, people are getting mugged and beaten to death for the cash in their wallets or whatever they're carrying on them. It's a mess."

"Maybe you guys should pack up and come out here. I only have one room but the living room could hold a good-sized air mattress and we can figure some stuff out from there." Tori chewed on her thumb and stared out the window again, watching clouds pass across the sun slowly like the plight of humanity had gone unnoticed by the Earth.

"It's hard to even get out around here honestly," Mrs. Vega said, stopping to talk to someone else in the room for a second, "abandoned cars in the road and the threat of getting stopped and dragged out of your vehicle. A lot of people are scared to leave."

"At least keep the doors locked and use the basement at night so there's no lights on upstairs. Put some garbage bags over the basement windows and hopefully people will skip the house thinking it's already been looted."

Mrs. Vega smiled and chucked into the phone a bit. "You really are a smart kid, you know that? Your dad wants me to tell you hello and he loves you."

"Tell him I love him too, and Trina I guess."

Mrs. Vega went silent for a minute and when she spoke her voice was soft and quiet. "We haven't heard from Trina in about a day and a half. Her phone goes straight to voicemail and she hasn't been home at all."

Tori closed her eyes as a sickness spread throughout her stomach. "Where was she last?"

"With Melanie, but I talked to Melanie's mom and Trina isn't over there."

"I'm sure she'll come back, she always does." At least Tori hoped she would.

"I suppose you're right. What's it like out there?"

"It's fine out here, everything is still ordinary. Work is fine and the city hasn't gone crazy, yet."

"Make sure you call me if things get bad, OK?"

"I will. I love you mom."

"We love you too, sweetheart. Stay safe."

"You too."

Tori hung up her phone and held it in her palm, still chewing on her thumb. The apartment was completely silent aside from the ticking of the clock on the wall in the kitchen, until a soft knock on the front door echoed throughout the room. Tori got up and walked to the door to look through the peep hole, her sense of security taking the reigns in her mind. She looked through and saw Diana standing in the hall with a plastic bag in one had and her other in her pocket, looking down at her shoes like she always did. With a soft grip on the handle Tori opened the door and made eye contact with Diana who smiled instantly, waiting patiently to be invited in.

"Come in?" Tori asked quietly, standing back to extend an arm into her place.

"Don't mind if I do" Diana replied, taking a few steps in and stopping so she could slip her boots off by the rug.

The front door led into a big open space the housed the two main rooms of the house, the living room and the kitchen. There was a small bar that extended out from the wall with two chairs and an apartment-sized kitchen table on the other side that also had two chairs. The living room held a three person couch and a large circular chair with a blue pad on it. A flatscreen was mounted to the wall and an entertainment center sat below it, housing DVDs on one side and CDs on the other. A stereo tuner sat in the middle and two floor speakers connected to it on each side of the entertainment center. Tori's room was to the left of the TV and the bathroom was located right next to it, convenient for those nightly trips in the dark.

Diana made her way inside and set the bag she was carrying on the counter in the kitchen, pulling the items out. A small can of coffee and creamer followed by a cheesecake and a jar of strawberry sauce. She grabbed the creamer and the cheesecake and walked it over to the fridge, setting them in an empty spot on the bottom shelf. Tori took the coffee and set it on the opposite counter next to the coffee pot, then got the filters out of the cupboard and set them next to the coffee can so Diana wouldn't have to go rooting around for them if she woke up first. Diana held up the plastic bag and looked at Tori questioningly, who showed her the trash can was underneath the sink.

"What better way to get acquainted with someone's place than try to fill it with things?" Diana asked, sticking her tongue out a bit as she made her way to the living room and sat on the big chair.

"What better way to get in someone's good graces than to bring coffee and dessert on your first time over?" Tori asked in jest, taking her spot on the couch directly across from the chair.

"Yeah, I figured if we're going to be in here for a while we might as well have some sweet treats to hold us over."

"Now what would you do if I didn't like cheesecake or was allergic to it?"

Diana looked up at the ceiling like she was thinking. "Hmm, I'd probably blush so hard with embarrassment I would look like a cherry tomato, and then I'd I would apologize profusely and let myself out before you could get a word in edgewise." She laughed a little nervously, knowing that her 'joke' was the absolute truth.

"I'm insulted that you think I'd let you get away that easily." said Tori, crossing her arms over her chest. "The world is a dangerous place and it's gonna be getting dark soon, so even if I hated cheesecake more than anything in the world you'd still be stuck with me, at least for tonight."

Diana smiled gathered her hair behind her head, pulling it off to the right so it flowed over her shoulder, leaving the left side of her slender neck bare and enticing. "I'm sure I could think of some worse places to be than here. And thanks for suggesting this, I was starting to get a little freaked out being alone but I didn't want to just invite myself over, you know."

"You'll get over that soon enough. Hang around me and Matthew and Marie long enough and you'll be inviting yourself into strangers' houses and eating the food in their fridge before you know it."

"Well at least I have something to look forward to." said Diana, crossing her legs in the chair. "So how was work?"

"Same same, not a whole changes working at the record store, and I like it that way. I always know what's going to happen when I get up and get ready so I can have a routine. It's nice."

"I bet. I worked as a server in a hotel restaurant in Seattle before I came out here, now that was some serious bull. Real upscale place, five hundred dollar bottles of wine and such. We had to learn etiquette on how to serve foreign guests and everything."

"That sounds pretty intense." said Tori, fishing in between the cushions for the remote. "I almost took a job as a server before I started at the record store, kinda glad I held out. I'm not very coordinated and remembering details isn't really one of my strong suits." She turned on the TV and found the news channel, sliding the volume down to a low buzz.

"You get used to it I guess. I wasn't the best at remembering stuff either but by the time I left I could see someone in public that ate at the restaurant a week earlier and remember what they ordered to drink."

"Impressive. I don't even remember what I had for dinner last night."

Diana laughed and turned her attention to the TV, whose picture broadcast a live riot in Denver. Dozens of people fought back the riot squad while attempting to loot a mall, many suffering injuries from bean bag guns and mace hoses.

Tori watched the feed and was reminded of a local protest to end violence on people in Boystown. A human chain wrapped from Broadway all the way around the other side of the grid, brothers and sisters linked in strength. Opposite them hate groups used any means they could find to wreak havoc; guns, knives, water balloons filled with urine, mace, tasers, you name it. Police were hesitant to get involved due to the mass amount of people and weapons involved so they instead called in the National Guard. Truckfuls of soldiers showed up to calm the situation but the introduction of more law enforcement just served to make the situation worse.

The human chain started to break apart as people were killed or fled for their own safety. Some of the more hardcore supporters fell back to gather weapons of their own but they were outmatched by the opposition. This incident raged for the better part of three whole days, racking up forty seven casualties and hundreds of injuries that kept hospitals busy for the same amount of time. Tori watched the news coverage from her apartment and made sure to stay home during those few days, since Boystown was only a few blocks away from her.

The situation on TV now was sort of like what she remembered except the scale was much larger and seemed much more frightening. It was almost like an old war movie where one nation invades another and tries to take over their land, except in this fight it was brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. It really served to show how much of a hold money has on society these days, and how the slightest hint of anarchy can turn an entire city into savage beasts. It also seemed like the situation was progressing east quicker than it had a couple days before, and that was what worried Tori and Diana at that moment.

"What do we do when it gets here?" Diana asked, her arms wrapped around her tight stomach.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I would call Matthew and Marie and have them come over here and have all of us try to figure out something together. Strength in numbers and all."

"That's a good idea." Diana mused, looking up at the ceiling. "My parents are out in Alaska so it would be a really long trek to get out to them if something happened, I'm not even sure I would actually be able to do it, especially by myself."

Tori scrunched up her nose at the thought of leaving Diana by herself. She was so feminine and small that it seemed like if she was stuck in a situation where she had to fight that the outcome wouldn't be in her favor. Fact was, though, Tori had only known this woman for a couple days and the opposite could be true. "I don't want you to have to go off by yourself. If it turns out you need to make your way out there I'll go with you, it's too dangerous to be alone these days, especially going that way."

"But what about your family? What if something happens to them? I wouldn't want you to go alone either, and we can't both go both places."

"Well, you may be older than me by a year but I'm bigger than you, so I say if it comes down to it I will escort you to your family and make sure you get there safely."

Diana smiled and shook her head. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Tori found herself staring at Diana's smile again. The way her eyes lit up like a sky full of stars and how the dimples in her cheeks spread from her jaw to her cheekbones. Her long, shiny hair falling in loose curls down around her right breast that sat perky and full, and her prominent collar bone that connected to the silky smooth skin of her neck and shoulder. "The harder they fall indeed."

Tori ended up closing her eyes for a little while and nodding off on the couch. She dreamed that she and Diana had left Chicago and were on their trek to Alaska to find Diana's family, but they'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up near the Canadian border. The border towns were especially hostile, with Canadian citizens patrolling the line with guns to keep the rabid Americans out. They spoke of how the American government was destined to fall someday and that Canada wouldn't be responsible for picking up the pieces. Tori saw two men and a woman try to sneak through a small encampment into the country but they were spotted, rounded up and hung from trees along the side of the road that led up the border as a warning for others who may have had the same idea.

Eventually they moved on away from the border when they got their bearings and tried once more for Alaska, stopping at a roadside diner somewhere in Wyoming that was miraculously still open. An older woman named Doris and a young kid named Dale were the only two people in the diner, server and cook respectively. Tori and Diana sat down but were not presented with menus, which they learned moments later were of no use since the food stores were running low and they didn't have the ingredients to make most of the items on it. The woman said they had spaghetti, hamburgers and some different soups left, as well as fountain drinks and water, so Tori got the spaghetti and Diana got a cheeseburger, each with Coke.

The plates of food came and the smell was so real that Tori started salivating, causing a weird itch on her chest. Moments later she awoke to realize she'd fallen asleep and was drooling on herself, and the smell was so realistic because Diana was in the kitchen cooking. She had cooked up some spaghetti and meatballs while Tori slept and had the table all set with glasses and silverware, ready to enjoy a nice meal.

"You did all this?" Tori asked, stumbling sleepily out into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey you." said Diana quietly, a hint of nervousness in her tone. "You fell asleep and I heard you say something about being hungry so I came out here and poked around a little to see if I could find something to make for us. I haven't eaten much today either and spaghetti sauce sounded good."

Tori smiled and walked forward, bringing Diana into a hug and resting her cheek on Diana's shoulder. They stood like that for a minute and Tori noticed Diana's hair smelled like sweet pea and her skin smelled like fresh cucumber, two of Tori's favorite scents. She felt herself slipping away again so she stood up straight and backed away, smiling lazily and heading over to the kitchen table to sit down. She was so drawn to the new girl that she felt like it would be difficult to control her feelings a lot of the time, something that made her feel a little on edge. Tori didn't like being not being in control of her emotions, mostly because it was one thing she was normally really good at but also because not being able to get a grip on yourself is scary. The worst thought of all, though, was if she screwed up and let her hidden feelings slip, possibly scaring Diana away and losing the friendship they'd started. She wasn't even entirely sure what her feelings were since their friendship was so new, but better safe than sorry. Being inside her own head for too long was starting to make Tori a little anxious so she decided to speak up and change pace.

"It smells amazing, I can't wait to eat."

"The meatballs should come out in a minute and it'll be ready." said Diana, leaning back against the counter. "I watched the news for another hour after you passed out, the violence is getting insane. The military has tanks now and they've been shooting at people that try to storm government buildings. Soldiers have been deployed in most of the major cities already and they said Chicago should be next, probably by mid-afternoon tomorrow."

"I can't believe this is happening. It seems so unreal, you know." said Tori, leaning forward on her elbows. "Like, we haven't seen anything in real life yet so it doesn't even seem like it's actually going on. I think when we see soldiers on the streets and people burning stuff down it'll hit a lot harder, so we should come up with some kind of plan while it's still calm."

"Yeah, I agree. I think maybe we should call your friends over tonight and see if we can brainstorm a little. Hopefully Marie's roommate can be with her family and Matthew can bring his brother with him or something."

Tori got up and went into the living room to retrieve her phone, sending a text to both Matthew and Marie at the same time.

_Hey guys, me and Diana think we should all get together and come up with some kind of plan for when things go sideways. We're at my house, can you guys get here soon? -Tori_

Diana fished the meatballs out of the oven and set them on the edge of the sink, scooping a few out with a spatula to put on each of their plates before covering them with sauce. She edged over to the table carefully carrying both plates, setting Tori's down first and then her own before making her way to the fridge to get out two cans of Coke. She popped open each and poured them into the glasses filled with ice, careful not to let them foam over onto the table. Tori watched with a smile as her friend moved so elegantly around the room, setting up this great meal for the two of them even though she wasn't asked to. A few seconds later Tori's phone buzzed again and she read the text message out loud.

_Riot squad is already out by Navy Pier and police are gathering at points of interest in numbers. I'll be there in a little bit. -Matthew_

Diana took a bite of her spaghetti and looked up at the TV, watching SWAT take down a naked man with Molotov cocktails in each of his hands. Most bystanders hung back a ways once they realized law enforcement had broken out non-lethal tactics such as bean bag guns and tasers, but some of the more brave ones continued forward in the face of pain and possible death. Tori's phone buzzed once more and snapped Diana back from the TV and she listened as Tori read the new message aloud once more.

_My roommate went to her parents house a few hours ago, I'm on my way. -Jo_


	3. Hatching A Plan

A quick rap on the door alerted the girls that someone had arrived. Diana crossed the room to open the door since Tori was doing dishes, something she insisted on since Diana was nice enough to cook while she slept. Matthew and another male that Tori recognized as his brother Dom stepped inside, taking their coats and shoes off at the door. Dom was bigger than Matthew at about six foot one and a solid one ninety. He looked like he did some weight training and probably had a two percent body fat rating. With short brown hair and hazel eyes on top of his physique he did pretty well in the lady department.

They hung the coats on the rack and headed into the living room, pulling the coffee table towards the couch. Dom set a backpack on top of it and started pulling some things out, including a laptop, map and hand-held GPS. Matthew booted up the laptop and opened an Office document before standing up again and heading to the kitchen.

"Hey Tor."

"Hey Matthew" said Tori, finishing up in the kitchen by wiping down the counter tops. "How's it going out there?"

"Not bad this way yet, but the downtown area is getting blocked off." He walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, cracking it and taking a drink before continuing. "Army is all over down there. Directing traffic, evacuating some of the bigger buildings. Lots of commotion and scared people, recipe for disaster."

Dom spread the map out across the table and placed a dime where they were currently located, turning then to put the exact coordinates into the Office document. "It's moving fast, though, so if we want to get out of here we're gonna have to go soon."

Tori crossed the room and pulled back the curtain to get a good look outside. Families were crowded together in their cars, luggage packed to the roof and babies strapped in for the long haul. A long line of traffic sat in front of her complex and after a minute she realized it was because a new barricade had been set up at an intersection the opposite way she traveled to work. A few people walked rather slowly by in a tight group, talking quietly while searching all of the cars in the line with their eyes. Tori rolled the crank on the window to open it as far as she could and stuck her head out.

"Hey, can you come here for a sec?" she yelled, getting the attention of the group and everyone else in the room with her.

One of the guys from the group walked forward and stopped about five feet away from the window, hands in his pockets. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering what's going on down that way with the barricade?"

"Another National Guard post, like the rest. Same as border patrol really. Searching suspicious cars and asking a lot of questions. Where you're going, who you're going to see, stuff like that." The man turned and looked at his group who were standing back on the sidewalk waiting patiently for him to return, then back to Tori.

"OK, thanks" said Tori, bringing her head back inside and cranking the window shut. The man waved before walking away and Tori turned to the room and made an 'oh boy' face, sitting flat on the couch with her eyes on the laptop.

"I guess if it's this close to us we should get stuff together and go" said Diana, standing up and walking over to the door. "I'm gonna head to my place and pack a bag, I suggest everyone else does the same."

"Wait" said Tori suddenly, hopping up from her spot by the window, "I don't want you to go by yourself. How about we all go and do what we need to do and meet back here in two hours?"

Matthew and Dom shook their heads simultaneously and Marie made a sound that was indicative of an "OK."

"What about Marie?" Diana asked, looking to Tori with worry. "Her roommate is gone now so she's by herself too." Diana slipped her shoes on as she talked, nodding in Marie's direction.

"I'll be fine, my house is only around the corner from here. Plus, I'll be going towards the barricade where the soldiers and stuff are so there probably won't be much going on."

"Are you sure?" Tori asked, getting ready the same as Diana by slipping her worn leather jacket over her shoulders. "You can come with us and we can hit your place on the way back."

"Yeah I'm sure, you guys go ahead. I'll probably be back before you." Marie stood up and slipped her boots on quickly and nodded on her way out the door, having only worn a hoodie to the meeting.

The others funneled out eventually and Tori locked the door behind them. She nodded towards Diana and the two of them started their trek to Diana's place, taking careful looks to the left as they headed out to keep an eye on the soldiers in the area. Tori noticed that the amount of people on the streets had at least doubled in the past couple of hours, making it hard to maneuver. When they hit a particularly thick crowd of people she took Diana's hand and guided her through it with quick precision. The feeling of Diana's warm hand against her own sent shivers down Tori's spine, but she wasn't sure if the shivers were solely from the contact or aided too by the fear in the air.

Taxis lined both sides of the road with their lights on, waving out their windows and yelling of promises to evacuate people from the city. A few couples took their offers but most people seemed to be set on either watching what the army was doing or finding a way to get their stuff out of town with them. Traffic was a nightmare with the amount of people trying to flee and the barricades popping up everywhere, making Tori wonder what exactly they were going to do to get out when they all met back at her place. She wondered how the others were fairing, especially Marie all by herself. Matthew and Dom were probably packing bags full of survival supplies and batteries while Marie was most likely gathering makeup and electronics. Everyone had their strengths, some more useful than others.

A few blocks away from the apartment a fight seemed to have broken out in the middle of the street. A few men were attacking one lone man, shouting something about him trying to loot their cash register. Most of the people around them watched out of the corners of their eyes, trying to see what was going on but also trying to make it look like they weren't really paying attention to avoid the guilt of not intervening. The man in the street had gobs of blood on his face and hands and holes in clothing. One of the attackers was holding a pocket knife with the blade still out, pointing it at the accused with a purpose. Diana shook her head gently as they passed and Tori rubbed a reassuring hand on her back, hoping that it would keep both of them calm.

About forty minutes later they arrived at Diana's place. A large brick building with a black iron fence around the entrance stood at least ten floors taller than any of the surrounding buildings, casting a long shadow on the street and the houses on the other side. Diana put in a code on a number pad attached to the gate and there was an audible click as the gate popped open, allowing them entrance to the building. Inside the front door they took an immediate left and went through the first door they came to which opened up to a very large front room complete with media center and furniture.

"This place is amazing" said Tori, looking around in awe at the open room.

"Yeah, my parents are pretty loaded" Diana called back, having headed into the next room to find her bag and start packing. "They bought this place when I told them I got into Columbia. Always overcompensating."

Tori walked around the edge of the room, taking in the space to get a feel of what Diana was like in every day life. A couple large paintings hung on the walls in which landscape scenes stretched over canvas, giving the room an even more open feel. The high ceiling would have given the room great acoustics for singing or maybe a piano, and Tori wondered if maybe Diana ever liked to sing. She'd note that in the back of her mind and bring it up later when conversation was dry. Diana crossed from the room she had first entered to a different room across the hall from it with bag in hand, glancing quickly out into the living room on her way through. Tori decided to head back that way and maybe get a look at Diana's bedroom to learn a little more about her.

The floor was hardwood like the rest of the place but in a little worse shape. The flooring in the living room must have been replaced at one point. To Tori's surprise the walls were a light blue, her favorite color. Pictures of Diana and her friends covered the majority of one wall in a giant collage, arched around a big vanity mirror that set atop a sturdy wooden desk you'd normally see in a CEO's office. A queen sized bed sat pressed against the far wall with a bedside table on the left that held a small alarm clock and a bottle of water. Pieces of clothing lay on the bed and floor, strewn about in a hurry to pack things that were necessary for their trip.

Diana reentered the room silently with a small toiletry bag, placing it in the larger dufflebag she'd packed with clothing and extra shoes. A backpack sat next to it with survival items like flashlights and batteries, a pocket knife and matches. Tori looked through what she could see in the bag without moving anything and was impressed with Diana's readiness. It seemed like she had already planned for something like this to happen and all she needed to do was scoop everything up together and go. The dufflebag was packed with a couple hoodies and pants and a lot of the shirts were spring apparel since April was coming up quickly. Heading out west the weather would be warming up pretty quick and they didn't want to be stuck with heavy clothing the whole time.

"OK. I have the backpack full of small useful stuff like matches and needle and thread. I'm gonna grab some camping water bottles from the kitchen on the way out. Can you think of anything I missed?" Diana pulled both of the bags open wide so Tori could look.

"Seems like you got most of it" said Tori, nodding slowly. "Just make sure you bring feminine products and maybe some lotion or something."

"Good call, I was just in the bathroom and totally forgot that stuff."

"I'll grab the water bottles" said Tori, leaving the room behind Diana to find the kitchen.

The doorway on the right side wall from the entrance led into a kitchen that was about the size of Tori's entire apartment. A white tile floor gleamed in the daylight that shone in from the unblinded windows and gave the room a homey feel. An island with a granite counter top sat in the middle of the floorplan with shiny silver pans hanging overhead. The fridge was the fancy kind that had digital climate control and water and ice in the door. Tori walked over to the sink and started opening cupboards that she thought might house the water bottles, getting it right on the second try. She grabbed both of them and shut the cupboard gently, taking a second to admire the room a little more before she went back to the bedroom.

Diana looked up at Tori as she reentered the room, hands busy folding more shirts and underwear to stuff into her dufflebag. Tori set the bottles on the bed and then checked her phone, realizing they only had forty five minutes to get back to her place in the two hour timeframe they'd agreed on earlier. Matthew and Dom would probably be on their way back and Marie would most likely already be there, waiting inside since she had given her a key to get in. Diana finished up the final preparations and picked up the backpack and dufflebag both before Tori grabbed the latter.

"I'll help."

"Thanks" said Diana, putting her arms into the straps of the backpack. "Should be all set to go."

"We'll make it just in time if we don't hit any snags" said Tori, hefting the dufflebag strap onto her shoulder.

"Hopefully everyone else did as well as we did."

"Don't count your chips yet" Tori warned, turning the handle on the front door, "we gotta get out of here first."

Outside of the building the scene was much like it was by Tori's place. Hundreds of people hustling to get out of town before things got any worse. Tori picked up the pace and made sure Diana stayed close, linking arms with her when they rounded the corner of one of the larger intersections between them and their destination. No one paid attention as they bumped and ducked their way through the crowd since everyone was too preoccupied with themselves and their families. Police cars passed on both roads of the intersection as they waiting to cross, sirens blaring as a warning to those ahead. Tori hustled across the street with Diana right behind her.

About six blocks away from her place Tori noticed smoke rising from the ground floor of a medium sized building. She watched intently as they passed, wondering what the cause of the fire could be when a deafening explosion blew all of the windows out of the building and shot a large fireball straight into the street. The crowds of people near the explosion started screaming and running in terror, and the ones that were too close were claimed in the blast. Half a dozen bodies lay in the rubble in the street as the fire grew larger, feeding on the fresh oxygen in the open city. Diana tugged on Tori's arm as a reminder they needed to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. Tori could barely tear her eyes from the carnage as she felt herself being pulled in the opposite direction. She had never seen something so destructive with her own eyes, and the sight of the bodies made it all the more uncomfortable.

They covered the last few blocks in a light jog to meet the deadline. Marie was already inside with her bag situated next to the door. She sat on the couch, eyes glued to the TV as they had been before, watching the live news feeds of the horrors happening right outside of their window. She turned her head slightly but didn't look away when Tori and Diana entered. Diana sat her bags next to Marie's and headed for the kitchen to get some water while Tori went to get her bags together.

"Get everything Marie?" Tori asked on the way through.

"Mm."

"You OK?"

"I guess" said Marie, readjusting her spot on the couch. "This whole thing is so bizzare I just feel like I'm in a dream or something."

"Well that dream is gonna collapse on you real fast if you don't come back to us."

Marie shut off the TV and stood up. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, just help Matthew and Dom with the preps when they get back, which should be any minute."

"Can do."

Tori headed into her room and grabbed her workout bag off the floor at the foot of the bed. She thought of where they would go first as she packed her bag, folding things up into tiny balls to fit more in. Surely getting out of the city was going to be bad enough, and with the uncertainty of their heading and of the road ahead tensions would be high in such a cramped space. A recipe for disaster. Tori thought of ways she would be able to diffuse situations in the confines of the car as she finished up packing, hearing Matthew and Dom enter the front door.

The smattering of voices echoed subtly off the bare walls of the apartment, masking Diana's footsteps as she entered the room.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Uh, sure. There's a flashlight in the top drawer of that desk you can grab" said Tori.

Diana retrieved the item and handed it over, eyes raking around the room. "Your room kind of reminds me of mine."

"Yeah, but about ten times smaller" said Tori.

"I just mean the colors, the bedding, your closet. We have a lot of the same tastes."

Tori blushed and turned her face down towards the bag to hide it. "I guess maybe we were meant to be friends then."

"Well that is definitely possible. And you know, as friends, we have to share clothes, especially since we're the same size."

"I dare say your wardrobe tops mine, it looks way more comfortable from what I saw." Tori zipped up her bag and turned to face Diana.

"Either way, I think we fit together pretty well."

Tori felt the blustery feeling in her stomach come back and all she could do was give a shy smile. She grabbed the bag and headed out into the living room where the smattering of voices echoed softly off the walls. Matthew had moved the laptop to the kitchen counter and was making a list of the items they'd brought and of what they found in Tori's apartment. Dom was pinpointing more GPS locations on the map and giving instructions to Matthew on what to write down. They decided to have paper directions just in case they lost the GPS. Diana sat on the couch and closed her eyes while Marie did the same in the chair opposite her, and Tori stood at the counter with the boys.

The plan was to go from Chicago to Port Huron, Michigan so they could cross into Ontario. If they were denied entry, which Matthew assumed they would be, plan B was to head northwest towards Alaska to get Diana to her parents. After that they would head down to California to drop Tori and Marie off at Tori's house and Matthew and Dom would decide what to do from there. Since their parents were gone and they had no other family it was just them. Tori envied that slightly in light of the situation, but she was sure they would rather have their parents back instead of an easier stroll through the Apocalypse.

Dom went around the room and collected cash after he finished with the coordinates, laying all of the bills down on the counter for everyone to see. He flipped through all of the notes one by one, straightening them and turning them the right way as he counted. Tori grabbed spare batteries from a drawer in the kitchen with a spur of the moment thought and set them on the counter next to the laptop. Matthew grabbed them and walked over to his and Dom's bags by the door and dropped them in a front zipper compartment.

"Alright guys, I need everyone to come over here" said Matthew.

The group gathered around the counter and looked at the laptop to see what Matthew and Dom had been working on.

"Go over this list a couple times, all of you, and make sure we aren't forgetting anything critical. If there's something that isn't on there that you think should be, speak up. We don't need to be caught by surprise in this situation."

Marie and Diana got up from the living room and looked, nodding their heads slowly and consistently as they scanned. Tori did the same, noting they didn't have toilet paper or any other bathroom stuff.

"We need toilet paper and q-tips and stuff. If we're gonna be on the road for a while we need to be fully stocked."

"Good thinking" said Matthew, adding those two items to the list. "Anything else?"

"Water bottles and some finger food would be good to have for the long stretches" said Diana, heading to the fridge to grab what was left of the water. "I have camping water bottles that we can fill once the spring water is gone."

"Alright, I guess we're all set" said Matthew, packing his laptop into his bag. "Who wants to drive first?"

"I will" said Tori.

"OK, let's move out."

The group dragged all of their bags to the parking lot behind the building, waiting for Tori to pop the trunk so they could load it up. Once everything was packed they shuffled into the vehicle, surprised and relieved at the amount of room they had, even being three deep in the backseat. Matthew sat up front with the GPS as the navigator while Dom sat behind him with the paper directions and laptop. Luckily whatever was going on was still in the beginning stages so the internet was still working fine, and Dom used his cell phone as a hotspot for the laptop. He tracked their movements in real time via a mapping site and coordinated with Matthew to make sure they stayed on course.

Tori pulled out of the parking lot slowly. The amount of people still wandering the streets hadn't gotten any smaller and traffic seemed to not be moving at all. It took ten minutes just to get onto the road, and another twenty five to get up to the barricade. Smoke rose from somewhere beyond the buildings in front of them and the general consensus was that another explosion happened or more fires were being started. Police cars continued to move towards them from the west as Tori rolled up to the barricade. Everyone in the car took out their Ids and passed them forward so she could hand them out the window when a large, burly man in uniform with a clean shave and buzz cut appeared.

"Ids."

"Here you go" said Tori, handing all five of them over.

"Where you guys headed?"

"West. Alaska and then California." She didn't mention Canada since she thought that the U.S. Army might not like the idea of its country's citizens fleeing to find sanctuary somewhere else.

"Don't want to be going west, not safe." The soldier handed the Ids back and typed something into a computer that was housed in a makeshift shack.

"Our families are out there" said Tori, frowning a little at the thought of a soldier saying something was dangerous. "We're just trying to find our parents."

"Well good luck. Try to stick to the back roads."

"Thank you."

Tori rolled up the window and pulled through the barricade, being gestured to the left by another soldier directing traffic. Matthew was following a virtual route on the GPS and pointed to the road up ahead, signaling for her to follow the car in front of them. He watched as the large buildings of the city started to eventually fade behind them until they were far enough away from downtown that you couldn't see them at all, wondering if he would ever make it back. The thought of leaving the place he'd lived his whole life and lost his parents in was hard but the reality was they couldn't stay. Sometimes you have to leave your life behind and start a new one; that was something Matthew's Uncle Jack had told him at his parents' funeral.

A couple years back Matthew and Dom's parents had finally decided to take a break from work and spend a romantic weekend together. Hotel room, wine, the works. They'd gone out one of the nights to see a movie and the way back from the theater proved to be deadly. A police chase screamed down the street next to them and started in their direction, blowing through the intersection where they were stopped at a red light. They had no chance to move before the car overcorrected and slammed right into the front of them. Paramedics were called to the scene but both were announced DOA almost immediately.

The service was three days after the accident. They were both shown together but they were both closed casket. Their mother, Tera, had become disfigured when her head went through the driver's side window during the accident, and they decided to keep his father, Daniel's, closed as well out of respect. Dozens of people showed up. Cousins and cousins of cousins. People that Matthew and Dom had never even met before that they were supposedly related to. They endured two whole hours of countless 'I'm sorry's and 'If I can do anything let me know's. After a while it got to be too much for Dom, who went out to sit in the car and listen to music. Matthew forced himself to stay through it but vowed that he would put it all behind him the second it was over. Towards the end of the service he had a short conversation with his grandfather, his mom's dad, someone he'd never really liked much growing up. Apparently he had taken care of everything police wise with the accident and the funeral, and he had saved something from his daughter's personal effects for Matthew.

Tera had an affinity for a certain handkerchief she'd gotten at a yard sale, unused of course. It was fairly large at twenty five inches square, yellow fabric with the Pittsburgh Steelers logo sewn into the middle. She was an avid football fan and the Steelers were her favorite team, so the find was extra special to her. She purchased it right away and kept it in her purse at all times, though she never used it for its intended purpose. A couple years after she'd gotten it she managed to get it signed by a couple players from the team at her first live game, and she said for years after how that was one of the best days of her life. Matthew's grandfather had gotten it out of her purse when he picked up the items from the Coroner's office and thought that Matthew should have it, since he was a fan of the team as well.

He took the fabric and folded it up, sliding it in his pocket with a quick thanks. The service ended shortly after and he'd barely thought about any of it ever since.

The view changed once again as the car merged onto the highway heading north. Tori checked her rear view mirror and locked eyes with Diana, who was sitting patiently in the back with her hands folded between her thighs. Tori wondered how she had been so lucky to find such a cool new friend out of nowhere, especially right before all of this was going on. Good friends were hard to find but Diana seemed to have just fallen into her lap. Tori couldn't help but smile as her eyes were locked with Diana's, until the world was literally shaken so hard she was thrown out of the moment, and Diana's eyes were the last thing she saw for a few minutes.

A car bomb had exploded at the intersection to get onto the highway and took out a couple cars near it, strengthening the blast and making the radius larger. Tori and the group were caught in the explosion, close enough that the car flipped over twice before landing on its side. Matthew managed to open the door and crawl out, reaching in to pull Marie out and then Diana. Tori had gotten her door open and stumbled into the street next to Matthew, looking in to see if she could manage to get Dom out. Screams erupted from all directions making it hard to decipher who was where in the aftermath of the explosion. Their ears rang and their vision was fuzzy for the first few minutes, making the situation even more stressful than it needed to be. It took a few minutes but Dom finally climbed out of the car, the side of his face covered in blood from hitting the window when the car rolled.

"Is everyone OK?" he asked.

"I think so" said Tori, checking her legs and brushing herself down to get out scraps of glass.

"I'm good" said Marie, followed by an echo from Diana. Matthew nodded his head, blinking rapidly to try and restore his vision.

A few cars burned fiercely as gusts of wind fed their fires. People were still screaming and fleeing in different directions, trying to find shelter from the flames and debris. Tori's car was totaled in the rolling as all of the windows were either shattered or spider cracked all the way across. A couple people clawed their way up from the pavement between two burning cars gasping for air and Dom ran over to help, picking a woman up under the shoulder and leading her to the sidewalk as her husband managed himself. He nodded his thanks to Dom and took his wife under his arm, shuffling around the corner and away from the scene. Dom crossed back to where the group had congregated as he formed a plan in his head.

"We need to get another car and get out of here, fast." He was turned facing the direction they had came from with the army barricade just over a stone's throw away. "The army is coming right now and they're going to start shooting."

"Well what do we do? Do we just steal a car?" asked Marie.

"That's exactly what we do."

Dom flocked everyone to the sidewalk and had them crouch behind a car that was still intact while he ran up the road, searching for a vehicle big enough to fit all of them and their gear. He laid eyes on a black midsized BMW that was running but had no one in sight around it. He checked all around a few times, looking in windows and checking alleyways between buildings to see if the owner was in the area. He couldn't see anyone that looked interested in the car and the car itself was void of any personal items so Dom hopped into the car and pulled it up to Tori's so they could transfer their things.

Matthew helped to flip Tori's car back onto its wheels since it wasn't on fire, making it easier to open the trunk and get things out. Tori threw her bags in quickly and jumped into the driver's seat of the BMW, getting acquainted with everything so they could take off as quickly as possible. Shouts came from the direction of her apartment and sure enough the army was pouring into the area. They held tight formations with guns drawn, crouching low to the ground and taking cover behind vehicles as they advanced. Dom watched them over the roof of Tori's car and pushed everyone to hurry up, finally getting the last bags into the trunk and slamming it shut. They piled in one after the other and as soon as the last door closed Tori punched the gas, aiming for the highway. She could hear bullets ricocheting off the pavement and one or two that punctured the back of the car but they weren't damaging, and the group managed to weave through the small spaces between cars and escape out onto the open road.

The aftermath of the explosion made it difficult for the big army vehicles to maneuver, and when it came to them squeezing by them wrecked cars to pursue the group, it just wasn't possible. Two Hummers stalled at the few cars that were still burning, all jumbled up into a pile in the middle of the road. They watched the sleek BMW shrink further and further away.

The Midwest was severely flat and boring to watch out the windows. Everyone else in the car had gone from checking out the scenery to flicking through their phones or iPods quickly while Tori tried to keep herself entertained watching the road. She noticed a few animals in the treeline looking for food or seemingly playing games. When a car in front of them would take an exit she'd make up a story in her head about who the people in the car were and where they were going. Earlier a newer model BMW, like the one they'd liberated, with just a man in a suit had taken an exit towards Cleveland and Tori thought maybe he was a business man and was on his way to a regional meeting on what to do in the crisis or something. She assumed he was single since he had a suit bar hanging across the backseat and no other luggage or people with him. It seemed kind of sad to be alone in a time like this. She couldn't imagine he had a wife or girlfriend since she would most likely be with him, but maybe he did and he was going to meet her? So many possibilities made it easy for her to change and reform the stories she created to keep her mind occupied.

"How is everyone doing?" she asked, hoping to pick up the energy a bit.

"Still a little rocked," said Dom, "but my head feels better." He held a balled up t-shirt against his head to stop the bleeding after they were safely out onto the highway, but the cuts would have to be looked at as an infection was one thing they couldn't have.

"That was crazy" said Marie, staring out the window as they drove. "I can't believe this is really happening. I mean I've seen stuff like this on TV and in movies and stuff but who really thinks it'll happen to them, you know?"

"Well we're going to have to be vigilant. This just proves that things have already gotten worse since we first heard, and they're only going to go down from here."

Diana smiled at Tori's reflection in the rear view mirror and sat back against her seat, face turned towards her window. The flatness was somewhat reminiscent to Seattle since there weren't any mountains or anything like that in the city, but the lack of large buildings and smog placed the two settings vastly apart. She found herself wondering where she would be if she hadn't left the city. It sounded like the western seaboard had gotten the worst of it, seeing as it started in California and rose north pretty quickly, and fire burns hottest near it's core. Her parents had fled to Alaska which was hopefully untouched by the whole thing since it's out of the way and treacherous. Diana wondered what would happen when they got there, with both her and her family and the group. She looked at each individual person in the car, thinking of their lives and their loved ones, especially Matthew and Dom not having anyone. At least for now they had each other, and hopefully it would stay that way.


	4. Back On The Road Again

The group had only been traveling for a couple of hours and already the signs of being cooped up in the car were starting to show. Marie was tapping on the back of the center console with her fingernail, making a loud clicking noise that seemed to echo off all sides of the car. Dom clenched his jaw but didn't say anything, not wanting to get everyone riled up in such a small space. Diana was breathing on her window and drawing small stick figures with her index fingernail, sometimes even drawing a sun and some grass. Matthew flicked through the area on the GPS screen, trying to figure out where the next safe place for them to stop would be. A highway rest stop showed up about ten minutes ahead of where they were so he noted it and shut the GPS off to save battery and stowed it back in the glove box.

"There's a rest stop a little ways up on the right. We should stop and stretch our legs, get some food out of the packs and get some fresh air."

"Not a bad idea" said Diana, rolling her shoulders until her neck popped. "I feel like going for a run."

"If you want to jog around the area for a few that's fine, but if you leave sight take someone with you." Matthew pulled down his visor and flipped up mirror cover so he could see Diana in the back seat. "I'm serious. We're gonna start using the buddy system from now on. Any time you have to go away from the group, even for thirty seconds, you take someone with you. We don't have the luxury of the illusion of safety anymore."

"Matthew's right" said Dom, "it doesn't necessarily have to be one of us," he gestured to himself and to his brother, "but if you feel more comfortable with one of us at night feel free to ask."

"My hero" said Marie, nudging her shoulder playfully into Dom's.

About two miles before their exit a car was situated on the side of the road with smoke rising from the engine. The hood was open and smoke poured out gratuitously, filling the air and making it hard to see the road ahead. Tori slowed down a bit as they approached the car. There looked to be a couple bodies in the back seat while a large man stood on the side of the road next to the front of the car, trying to wave smoke from the engine so he could see what was going on. As they made to pass by Marie sat up in the back and called out for them to stop, turning to keep an eye on the car as Tori eased them to a halt.

"There's kids in the back seat, we should see if we can try to help."

"I don't know" said Matthew, tucking the GPS away in the glove box. "It could be a trap."

"Come on Matty. Those kids are barely five or six years old and he looks confused. You guys know about cars, go give him a hand and do your good deed for the day."

"You know Dom is the only one that can call me that and get away with it."

"I know, I only do it in a condescending way when you're being a guy."

"Might as well" said Dom from the back, getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him. Matthew quickly followed suit but moreas to keep an eye on his brother than anything.

The man wiped sweat from his forehead as the two approached. He tossed a rag down onto the front of the car where the hood stem latches inside and pulled his pants up a bit, adjusting them so his belt buckle was front and center. Matthew noticed the man was at least three times his size and probably outweighed Dom by at least sixty pounds, even though the majority of it was fat. They reached the car and nodded a polite hello to the man.

"What's the trouble, sir?" asked Dom.

"Well it seems like I overheated or somethin'. Not too sure what exactly happened, maybe out of coolant or some other thing." The man looked back and forth between the boys rapidly, a motion that made Matthew feel ill when he tried to replicate.

"Maybe we can give it a look and get you going again" said Matthew, rounding his way to the engine.

Dom followed and the two of them tried to fan the smoke away, noticing almost immediately when they were close enough that actual flames were coming from inside the engine block. Dom backed up and looked to find where the man was, making eye contact with the barrel of a gun.

"Don't move."

Matthew mouthed a silent "damnit" and backed up slowly, arms out to the side. He stood next to Dom who had his hands up in the same fashion, both of them watching the man for any sudden movements.

"Are you kidding me? We survived that blast to get robbed a couple of hours later?" said Matthew.

"Alright boys, I'm gonna need your car. I'm tryin' to get me and my girls out of town and this shit heap kicked the bucket on me."

"I'm afraid we can't do that sir" said Dom immediately, his voice loud and strong. "It's not our car, and we aren't the only ones involved."

"Well I suggest you tell whoever does own the car that they don't own it anymore, and to hand over them keys so no one has to get hurt." The man cracked his neck and adjusted the shotgun against his shoulder. "I've been hearin' about the explosions and the army takin' people prisoner. I ain't gonna be one of 'em."

"I'm afraid I can't do that either. Truth be told I would have them drive away and leave us here with you before you get that car."

Matthew watched Dom closely out of the corner of his eye. His demeanor was purposeful and his posture was rigid. He stood feet shoulder width apart and kept his eyes straight in true soldier form. He admired his brother for having such strong, manly traits; something he didn't possess himself, but something his brother never criticized him for.

"Now you see, I'm sure you don't want to do anything crazy in front of your little girls back there." Dom leaned on one leg and looked around the car, smiling and waving at the little brunette girl in the window. "They seem like sweet kids, murdering someone in front of them would rob them of that innocence."

"Haven't you been watchin' the news lately, kid? We've all been robbed of that innocence now. It's too late to do a media cover-up and try to patch it like they did with so many other things in the past. These walls are comin' down and where you stand when they do is all that matters now. My girls will be taught how to survive, and the way things are goin', they're about to get their first lesson in how to get what you need." The man took a couple steps forward and pointed the gun right in Dom's face. "You seem to be the talkative one, I suppose you'll go first."

At that moment the horn sounded from Tori's car and the man was momentarily sidetracked, turning his head to see where it had come from. Matthew took advantage of the opportunity and lurched forward and punched the man in the mouth with all of his strength, staggering and falling onto one knee after he made contact. The man took three whole steps backward to keep from falling but couldn't get his bearings before Dom ran forward and tackled him to the ground, headbutting his face and breaking his nose. The cracking sound he expected was much louder, signaling that the man had pulled the trigger and he immediately worried that Matthew might have been hit. He popped up off the ground and turned to see his brother was still OK, much to his relief. Dom reached back down and struggled for a moment, removing the gun from the man's grip, then looked over his shoulder and tossed it to Matthew. Matthew caught it and trained it on the man as Dom stood up and backed away, watching the man as he tried to cup his face with copious amounts of blood pouring out.

"You little bastards! Look what you've done!"

"Look what _we've_ done?" said Dom, a hint of hysterics in his voice. "Get in your car and shut the door, now."

"Don't you tell-"

"NOW!"

The man got up slowly and tripped over to the car, stretching his arms out to catch himself and smearing blood all over the side of it. He got in and shut the door after himself, his head lolling to the side with blood still pouring down his face. Dom pointed to Tori's car and he and Matthew started walking, passing the girls in the back seat with a somber smile and a wave goodbye. They reached the car and Matthew knocked on the trunk, signaling Tori to pop it. He tossed the shotgun in and closed it, getting into the front seat once again.

"What the hell happened?" Tori asked, looking at Matthew's swollen hand. "I saw that guy grab the gun and I was about to run out there but Diana stopped me."

"He wanted the car. I told him no" said Dom.

"Seriously? You should have just given him the keys" said Tori, shaking a little in her seat. "It's not worth getting shot and possibly dying over. We can walk you know."

"It's not about that" Dom explained, resting his head against the back of the seat with his eyes closed. "It's about finding our place in this world from the very beginning. Stuff like that is going to become more and more common until it's an everyday thing. People are natural savages. When supplies run out for real, when food is scarce and clean water is a luxury, we're gonna be dealing with a lot worse than one overweight asshole with a gun. A lot worse. If we're going to survive, if we're going to get where we need to be and not lose our stuff or each other on the way, we have to be resolute."

"What about the girls?" Diana asked. "We can't just leave them there with him, can we?"

"We have no choice. We don't have any room for them in the car or in the supplies." Dom cracked his knuckles and crossed his arms over his chest. "I feel bad about it, I really do, but we just can't afford the responsibility." He wondered if it would seem like he was coming off cold, like he didn't really care about the kids but just said he did to make everyone feel better. He was worried that everyone would look at him differently, but he knew that the group needed a strong leader that could help get them through this, and he would try to be that leader no matter how he looked in the present. If they all survived they would see eventually why certain things had to be the way they did.

Everyone in the car looked in different directions, biting their nails or concentrating on their breathing. Dom was right; the world had changed, and they were going to have to change with it. Tori drove on without another word. She watched for more cars as they continued on but didn't see anything, something she was thankful for. These two back to back situations were the first part of the conflict that had really hit home for them, and she wasn't even a part of the second one. She couldn't imagine how Dom and Matthew were feeling at the moment, having just stared death in the face twice in a couple hours. They would all have to harden up to make it; not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well. The exit came up and Tori slowed down to take it, following the hard right curve all the way around to the highway below.

Tori pulled into the rest area and parked close to the building. Everyone funneled out of the car one by one and headed for the bathrooms. Tori walked around the back of the car and leaned against the trunk with her eyes closed, feet crossed at the ankles with her hands in her pockets. April had come and brought some warmer weather and currently a delicate breeze brushed warm air across her face. The trees on the other side of the highway swayed lazily to the right and a few unfrozen leaves scattered here and there. One side of the rest stop was coated in moss and vines since it stood face to the wind but the rest seemed to be in pretty good condition. Tori wondered how long it would take for the earth to reclaim this place if everyone killed each other.

Marie wandered around the inside of the small building for a few minutes after she left the bathroom. She looked at all of the different pamphlets and maps that covered the walls, photos of tourism and landmarks behind the glass. A classic American family posed for a photo at a place called Sleeping Bear Dunes, unfortunately the smallest kid of the bunch had his finger in his nose at just the right moment. The picture made Marie smile and she wondered what had happened to her mom and the rest of her extended family.

When she was nine Marie's dad, Derrick, walked out on her and her mom. For years he'd suffered abuse at the hands of his wife, physically and mentally. Marie's mom, Kim, was a drinker, and she liked to blame her husband for all of the shortcomings in their lives. Whenever something didn't go right Kim would drown herself vodka and tell her grand story of how she thought she was marrying a man of money and that she didn't know their life was going to be this hard. When Derrick tried to calm her down she would erupt even more, hitting him with fists and whatever else was in arm's reach. Marie was usually around for these arguments since she was young and didn't have anywhere to go. After all was said and done Derrick tried to get custody of Marie but even after painting a picture of what an unfit mother Kim was she still got custody, the product of the matriarchal family court system.

The man in the photo reminded Marie of her dad. She wondered where he was and how he was surviving in this situation, but she was sure he would be fine. He was a resourceful guy and could always find a way to spin something in his favor. He'd tried to stay in contact with Marie after the divorce but her mother would not let it happen. She got personal protection orders on him, saying he sexually assaulted her and that she was afraid for her daughter's life, that if he was allowed to come around he would eventually kidnap Marie and take her away. He tried to call but she intercepted all the calls, hanging up on him and deleting messages from the answering machine. For the longest time Marie thought once he had gotten away from her mom that he just didn't care anymore and went on living his life, but as she got older and realized what her mom was really like the truth fell into place.

Marie was pulled back to reality when the bathroom door closed hard behind her and Diana came out, wiping her hands on her hips.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks."

"Hungry?"

"I could eat" said Marie, following Diana back outside. She turned her head and took one last look at the photo before passing through the open door.

At the car Dom had fished out the cooler and was carrying it to a picnic table while Matthew sat with the laptop. Tori had the car opened up with music playing so they could hear it while they relaxed. Marie and Diana rejoined the group, grabbing sandwiches from the cooler to pick at while they waited to get back on the road again. The highway was pretty dead in this area which was surprising, since they all figured everyone that lived around there would be trying to go north. Fortunately for them that wasn't the case and they had free reign of the open road. Last thing they needed was a packed highway with desperate people speeding and swerving to pass each other.

Tori decided to get in the car and turn the radio on, thinking maybe they could find some nationwide news stations to keep track of what was happening. She tuned to the very bottom of the FM frequencies and moved up slowly. A little static here, garbled bits of conversation there. Eventually she hit a clear station with a deep male voice explaining what was going on in some of the southern states.

"(...) think that we can turn this thing around. The army's been doing their thing but they still can't hold anything down. A lot of the west coast is gone, done. Entire cities are abandoned. Cell towers are down and internet doesn't work anymore since no one's around to maintain it. We haven't seen a rise in full scale militias yet but the smaller groups of bandits are out in force."

Another voice sounded next that Tori recognized to be George Brewer, host of a late night AM radio show.

"Well I mean this was bound to happen. We've had thousands of callers over the years say this exact thing would happen someday when Wall Street crumbled and the market just didn't have any juice left in it. Now that business has collapsed and the internet is down in a lot of areas this crisis is going to get a lot worse, real fast. Our nation's reliance on technology has certainly proved to be our own downfall. Millions of people are now stranded with nowhere to go. When all of the stores are picked clean of edibles and water we're going to see a guaranteed rise in violence."

"And that's the worst part of all of this, George. We've ignored survival training for so long now, absolutely sure that nothing would ever go wrong and we'd be living in our manufactured homes with our fiberglass cars and bottled Fiji water forever that we simply dismissed the idea of an apocalypse, at least in our time. Now that the country is quite literally going to hell all around us these people that don't know how to survive are going to turn on each other, attack each other and steal what they need instead of working together to help everyone. It's really a sad picture to paint for the people of this great nation, but if we sit back and think about it, really think and not let Patriotism cloud our judgment, we all knew it would be exactly like this."

"I think you're right on that one, Eric. That's all the time we have for right now. Eric, thanks for your call and for anyone else that didn't get through keep on trying, we'll get you in next block. I'm George Brewer and this is Talk America AM."

Tori got out of the car and walked back to the picnic table where the others were sitting quietly, nibbling on food or sipping a bottle of water. No one really seemed to know what to say. Matthew was going through some maps on the laptop, fidgeting with the settings every few minutes or so. Dom stood to the side of the table with his eyes out towards the highway, his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. He scanned the tree line back and forth and looked for cars, making sure no one and nothing was watching them.

"That guy's right," said Matthew, closing the laptop, "it's getting harder to get map data. Datacenters are down in the west so the ones that are still up around us are getting slammed with rerouted traffic. When these ones crash we're gonna be in the dark for real."

"There's a ton of maps inside there" said Marie, pointing to the building. "We can grab all of them and bring them with us. Well, at least one of each. I want to leave some in case someone else comes here like we did."

Matthew smiled at the good nature of the girl in front of him and nodded his head. "Sure thing. It wouldn't hurt to have some localized maps if we need to hide on foot."

"It's gonna be getting dark in a little while" said Tori, looking up at the sky. "We should probably get going."

"Alright. I'll take Marie and grab some maps. Dom, repack the cooler and we'll be good to go in five."

Tori started the car and popped the trunk so Dom could get the cooler into it. They both stood beside the car and waited for Matthew and Marie to get back before getting back in in the same order they were before. Over the next hour to sun started to set and by the time the stars were visible they'd reached the town the bridge to Canada was in. Tori expected to see city lights similar to Chicago, especially in a town that held an international bridge, but they were met with nothing but darkness. Impenetrable, enveloping darkness. The stars were brighter in this area than any of them had ever seen, counting Dom who had been hunting further north than they currently were. A little bit of light could be seen a few miles ahead of them on the same road they were on so they continued forward to find out what it was.

The bridge was packed with cars in all six lanes, from the booths all the way to the road leading to it. The group drove up slowly to survey the traffic in front of them but quickly realized what they saw wasn't good. All of the cars had been abandoned with a lot of the closer ones donning bullet holes. Matthew got out of the car and crawled up onto a truck in front of them so he could look ahead. Smoke rose from a few cars towards the front and from the way they were positioned it seemed as if they had been positioned as a blockade. A lot of the cars still had bodies in them, riddled with bullet holes and flopped over in unnatural positions. Blood stained a lot of the pavement and interiors and most of the windows further up were shattered. No living people could be seen anywhere around the group but there was zero possibility of getting them passed all of the traffic.

"There's no way" said Matthew, hopping down from the truck he was standing on and leaning his head through the window of Tori's car. "Traffic is six deep all the way in, we can't get around."

"What's going on up there?" Tori asked.

"Looks like there was a fight here at some point. Cars are set up as a barrier and there are bullet holes, and bodies, everywhere. I'm guessing people were being refused entry so they started a commotion to try to force their way in."

"I don't think we should hang around here too long" said Dom, sticking his head out the window before getting out to satisfy his need for a perimeter check. "We don't know if anyone is still camped here or not."

"Alright, let's move out." Matthew moved to get back in before he was tapped lightly on the shoulder by Diana.

"Do you think we could switch for a bit?" she asked.

"Oh, no problem" said Matthew. "Just don't distract her too much, we don't want to die in a fiery accident."

"Promise."

Diana got in the front seat and smiled over at Tori who was scanning the area in front of her nervously. She gripped the shifter so tightly her knuckles were white, loosening a little when Diana's hand covered her own. Tori felt a tightness in her chest that elevated her fear above where her head thought it should be.

"It's OK, we'll head west and find our families. I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"I hope you're right" said Tori, putting the car in reverse to turn them around.

The road back south was pretty deserted as most of the residents of the state had tried to go north to Canada. The highway stood clear for miles in front of them but the lack of light made it hard to see. Tori turned on the high beams which lit up the road and a good amount of land beside it to watch for animals and stray people. The mood in the car was light but tired, and after another couple of hours Tori was getting tired of driving. She figured that they would be able to camp on the side of the road somewhere, slowing down when she noticed a break in the guard rail.

She pulled over on the side of the road and came to a stop, put the car in reverse and backed up a ways until the car was protected by the guard rail. Matthew put the GPS in the glove box and unbuckled his seat belt, pushing the trunk release as he opened his door.

"I packed tents so we'd have a place to sleep" said Matthew, rounding to the back of the car. "You can all grab your sleeping bags and put them next to the car and I'll get a fire going. When we get some light we'll pitch the tents and sleep for a little while."

Tori got out of the car and stretched her legs, realizing quickly that she should have tried to pee at the rest stop. She had to go now and the stinging in her bladder made her uncomfortable. A quick scan of the area around her showed a tree line about twenty yards out so she headed to go relieve herself.

"Hold it, where are you going?" Dom asked.

"To the bathroom, I didn't go earlier."

"Take a buddy. We weren't kidding earlier."

"I'll go" said Marie.

The two of them walked side by side out to the trees and Marie waited for Tori to come back out. It was impressively dark out here, you couldn't even see your hand right in front of your face. It would take about an hour for everyone's eyes to fully adjust so they could see each others' faces. When they arrived back at the site Matthew was poured over the bag of survival gear and Diana was setting up a little kindling teepee. Tori crossed over to see what Matthew was doing when he let out a hissed string of curses.

"One of the water bottles leaked into this bag and got the lighters and matches wet" said Matthew.

"All of them?" Tori asked.

"Yeah. Not sure what we're gonna do now." Matthew slammed the bag down against his thigh. "My fault. I should have double checked everything."

"It's not your fault, we're all going to have to get used to living a different way now."

"I know, but I should have been on top of this. We've camped before, gone hunting and all of that. I know what needs to be done and I just didn't do it."

At that moment a flash of light came from behind them and the fire crackled to life. Diana stood up and smacked her hands together to get the dirt off, smiling when Tori and Matthew approached. "I rubbed some sticks together to make a spark and get some paper going I had in my pocket." She looked back and forth from Matthew and Tori's faces to the ground, fidgeting slightly in her spot.

"That's...impressive" said Matthew.

"Thanks. I wanted to be a Girl Scout when I was a kid but my mom wouldn't let me. She said I had to do something 'finer' like play the piano or the violin."

"Nice job Diana" said Tori, reaching up and squeezing the top part of her arm. "Because of you I won't freeze tonight, and that I thank thee."

Diana blushed a bit and chewed on her lip. Dom walked over and tossed one tent to Matthew and kept the other for himself, and the two of them went to work getting them set up. One would be for the boys to share and the other for the girls. Each were deluxe camper tents with windows and lantern hangers in the center, and the one for the girls was an XL model that would comfortably fit seven fully grown adults. Tori and Marie went back to the tree line to try and find some larger logs to keep the fire burning over night while Diana continued to build it with the kindling she had lying around.

Once they were all finished and had a good pile of wood to last the night everyone gathered around the fire to warm up. The car was slightly angled away from the guard rail so it blocked the fire from the road. By the time anyone saw the light they'd be past the group and they would have heard the vehicle, giving them time to be alert in case someone with cruel intentions showed up. Tori got up and grabbed the food from the trunk and brought it back to the fire, taking out an apple and passing the bag to Diana. They each grabbed something and passed until everyone had something to eat.

"So how do you think this whole thing is gonna go?" Tori asked to no one in particular.

"Hard to say" said Dom, finishing his banana and tossing the peel into the fire. "From what we've been hearing on the radio there's no turning back now. I guess the Army lost control and the government just decided to bail."

"Figures" said Matthew, finishing his bottle of water. "They only pretended to be in charge in the first place, whoever thought they would stay in a situation like this is crazy."

Diana stoked the fire with a long stick, creating a small hole in the bottom where everyone could dispose of their trash. They were going to have to get used to covering their tracks, especially out in the open. The risk of people following them was becoming more and more real by the day. Eventually when supplies ran out and bandits started stopping travelers to take what they had the group would need to be on high alert. If someone found traces of human activity they'd be more than likely to follow the signs to see if they could manage to get a little food or something tradeable. There would come a time when certain goods would be worth more than money ever was.

"I'm guessing it'll be like all the stories we've ever read" said Diana, setting the stick down next to her feet. "Government goes down, militias pop up. Someone tries to be the bad ass in charge, rounding up people that don't bend to their will. Food and water run out and everyone will start attacking each other to get it. Groups of bandits will survive in outlying areas of major cities, running in every so often to scrounge for supplies. Eventually the biggest militia, the one that succeeds in getting the most guns and people, will claim ownership of the land and try to 'rebuild' as the new law. Will it happen just like that? I don't know, but it will probably be really close to it."

"Well I think you're right" said Dom. "Especially about the groups of bandits, that's who we need to watch for the most right now. The militia stuff won't be an issue for another couple of weeks at least. We need to be sure that whoever is driving is fully awake with their mind on the task and that someone else is helping keep watch on the side." He adjusted his heel inside his shoe and cleared his throat, scratching lightly at his beard. "Little stuff like we said before. Buddy system, rationing, stuff that will keep us ahead of the game."

"And to think, not even twenty four hours ago I was wondering what part of the store I was going to move the Jazz section to." Tori laughed at herself and finished her apple, tossing the core into the little spot Diana had cleared in the fire. "It really is amazing how fast things change, and how much you can learn about someone in that time. I had no idea Diana was such a survivalist, making this fire the way she did. And Dom, you and Matthew really have a head for this stuff."

They all seemed bashful and slow to accept the compliment but smiled just the same. Marie looked sour-faced and poked at the dirt under her feet with a short stick. "What about me, then? It's your car we're in, Diana's woodsman skills and Matty and Dom's survival gear and mapping abilities. Why am I here?"

"When we run into a scary group of bandits that want to steal our things I'll offer manicures in trade and we'll get to see your talent at work, trust me."

"Har har." Marie tossed the stick she was playing with into the fire and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Really, we're not all here for a specific purpose, we just kind of happened to be friends. It's not like we picked this group out of a pool of candidates for their skills. I'm sure there will come a time when you save all of our asses and we'll be thanking you for the rest of our lives, and you'll have all that time to revel in it."

"Speak for yourself" said Matthew, standing up to stretch. "I show gratitude once and that's it."

"Yeah, you even forget that initial thanks most of the time." Tori laughed and flicked a piece of bark at him.

"Whatever. I'm gonna get some rest so we can head out when it gets light. I'll start driving first so you can hang out for a while."

"Thanks. I guess we'll see you when we all get ready to go."

A quiet hum of 'goodnight' and 'see ya' floated around the fire, and after Matthew was in his tent with the flap closed a comfortable silence took its place. No one really felt the need to say anything. The fire was doing a good job of warming everyone up but also of being a focal point that everyone could kind of rest their thoughts on and go internal a bit. It's easy to get lost in the flames and let your mind wander, especially in a stressful situation where you have a lot to work through.

"I kind of want to stretch my legs a bit before I go to bed. Someone want to come for a walk with me?"

"I will" said Marie, standing up and wiping her butt off with her sleeves. "Sounds like a good idea, we're gonna be in the car a lot for the next few days."

Dom waited for Marie to catch up next to him before turning to leave, nodding to Tori with a kind smile. "We won't be gone for very long. Fifteen tops."

The moon was almost full. Another day or two and it would be perfectly round once more, proving in the wake of their disaster that not everything was going to change. The sun and moon would still rise and fall, the tide would still ebb and flow and the stars would still shine at night. Tori stared up at the sky until she felt a pain in her neck then angled down towards the fire, watching the tips of the flames lick the air around it. The trees lolled back and forth in the light midnight wind, casting shadows that danced in the edges of her peripheral vision. Although it was getting warmer during the day the nights were still pretty chilly so Tori snuggled up closer to the fire, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Diana got up from her spot and walked around the fire to sit next to Tori, putting an arm around her shoulder. She ran her hand briskly over Tori's back to create some friction to help warm her up. The sentiment made Tori smile and she leaned forward a little, resting her head between her knees.

"Where do you think you would be right now if you hadn't met me in record store?" Tori asked, eyes closed and enjoying the back rub.

"I'm not really sure" said Diana, "I'd probably be holed up in my apartment by myself hoping that this would all blow over and no one would try to raid my place."

"Well be thankful for your outgoing personality."

Diana laughed loudly. The deep kind of belly laugh that makes you feel good, like you got out some stress that you didn't know was lurking around. "Outgoing personality, that's good. I should be thankful I decided to go against every screaming nerve in my body and attempt to make a friends instead of being a shut in little hobbit like I usually am."

"Really? You're too pretty to be a shut in. You really should get out more, people could use a gorgeous smile like yours in these hard times." said Tori, joking in a sort of governmental way with a trick voice and grand gesture of her arm. Diana still blushed and looked away, and the silence between them was shaky but still comfortable. "I'm sorry if that's weird. I mean, I know sometimes girls get uncomfortable when I say things like that since I'm gay. They think I'm trying to hit on them or I'm being weird or something, even when I'm just trying to be nice. So if I ever say something that makes you uncomfortable please let me know."

"No, it's nice. Really. I'm not used to being complimented so I just don't really know how to receive them is all."

"You said you had a boyfriend at one point, right? Adam? What was he like?" Tori turned her head to look up into Diana's eyes, more interested than she probably should be in her new friend's past.

"Well, he was great. We were together for a little over two years. We met in high school, Chem class. My regular partner was out sick with Hives or something and Adam was part of a three person group, so our teacher decided to put us together until my partner came back."

"Sounds like one of those fated things" said Tori.

"I suppose. After that we kind of fell into step with some other kids and had a circle, sort of like the one we have here now. The six of us hung out every day. We'd go to school and then meet up at this abandoned house and practice ma-" Diana paused in mid-sentence before stopping altogether, and to her surprise Dom and Marie returned at the same time.

"You guys are still up?" Dom asked.

"Just talking a bit. Practice what Diana?" asked Tori.

"Math mostly. We were all pretty lousy with numbers."

Dom passed around the fire and and headed towards his tent. "I'm gonna cash in myself. You girls have a good night, don't stay up too long."

"Scout's honor" said Diana.

"That doesn't mean much coming from someone who wasn't actually a scout, and since I was that's actually kind of offensive."

"Shut up!" Diana laughed and threw the stick she was holding at Dom, who smiled and dodged it easily.

"I think we should probably get to bed ourselves" said Tori, grabbing some of the bigger logs off the ground. "We're gonna be leaving in a few hours or so."

"OK, I'll meet you guys there" said Marie, finishing the walk to the girls' tent.

Tori situated some of the bigger logs towards the bed of coals they'd achieved over the last couple of hours and stoked them up, making sure they caught a little before she left the fire to fend for itself. She took the rest of the medium-sized sticks and layered them around the outside of the fire and tossed the smaller kindling in the middle. Diana helped position the rocks they'd found to make sure if any of the logs rolled over the fire wouldn't spill out of the bed they dug for it, and when they were satisfied it would burn through the night and not set all of the ablaze they too made for the tent. Diana was the last one in so she zipped the flap all the way and pulled the blind down, tying it in place at the bottom. She and Tori slid into their sleeping bags and before either of them could say goodnight they were down for the count.

The next morning Matthew and Dom had gotten up early to get the fire going again and try to scrounge up some breakfast. Funny enough Diana was the first to wake up, smelling what she thought was popcorn. She got out of her sleeping bag and crawled towards the tent flap, opening it and stumbling out into the morning. She shielded her eyes from the new morning light, squinting to try and get her sense of clear vision. Dom nodded a silent hello as he poured over a map they'd grabbed from the rest stop the day before. He'd brought a laundry table, one of the kinds that folded up and stored it at the bottom of the trunk. Now he was using it as a command central with the map and laptop spread out on it, along with a set of radios and a pad of paper.

Matthew pulled a pot off of a small campfire cooking contraption he'd set up and stirred whatever was inside with a large metal spoon. After a minute of stirring he divvied it up between the five bowls, and Diana finally noticed as he dished it out that it was ravioli. Matthew and Dom had brought some canned food from their place when they packed and Tori threw in whatever she had left as well, which between the two of them meant a lot of canned meat and fruit. Diana walked over and picked up a bowl and plastic fork, her stomach growling as the smell reached her nose.

"Thanks Matthew, this smells good. I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."

"Don't mention it" said Matthew, discarding the pot when it was empty. "We just need to find some water to wash these sometime today, we don't want to get into the habit of leaving them dirty since they'll rust and attract bugs."

"Good call. I'll go wake the others and once we eat we'll pack up and head out."

Diana walked back over to the tent and stuck her head in the flap, blowing the smell of the ravioli inside. "Wake up sleeping beauties, time to eat and get back on the road."

Tori groaned and rolled over at the same time as Marie and they almost headbutted each other. Diana laughed at the sight and stayed in the window, crouched down so she could eat and keep trying to convince them to get up and move around.

"Come on ladies, you're not avoiding gym class. This is our lives now, get up and get with it."

Matthew and Dom both smirked behind their backs but didn't say anything. Tori eventually stirred and got up on her knees, leaning backwards with her eyes still closed. She reached over and pulled Marie's sleeping bag back and yanked on it a few times, trying to get her to sit up as well. It eventually worked and the two girls managed to find their way outside, slumping like zombies to their own bowls of food.

"Get something in your stomach and it'll be easier to get going again" said Dom.

"Do we have any coffee?" asked Tori.

"Nope, that's pretty much the one thing we forgot to bring actually" said Matthew.

"Great. I propose we get off the highway in the closest city and look for a grocery store."

"Actually I was going to suggest the same thing" said Dom. "It's only been a few days since this thing started so we can still salvage some real meat and fresh fruit from some markets. The meat will only last a day or two in a cooler but we can get some bags of apples and bananas and stuff."

"I'll check for signs and we'll duck off right before it gets dark. Hopefully we can find a place towards the end of the day so the meat will last for longer tomorrow." Matthew pulled the keys out of his pocket and popped the trunk with the remote, grabbing some of the supplies to repack in the trunk. "Once I get this stuff in there we'll tear the tents down and repack all of that stuff so get your sleeping bags situated and get changed if you want to."

Tori and the other girls pulled their bags out of the tent and rolled them up, slipping the straps over the edges so they wouldn't unfold in the trunk. Marie took all three of them and placed them by the trunk of the car while Tori and Diana tore down the tent pole by pole. When it was all down and packed in it's bag they got everything put away in the car and everyone piled in, waiting for Dom to situate the rest of the command center in a safe position. When he was certain the equipment wouldn't get knocked around he hopped in the front seat and the group took off.

"We're taking 80 to Omaha, then heading north on 29 to Sioux Falls and then 90 west all the way to Washington." Dom slid his finger around on the GPS screen for a minute before shutting it off. "When we find a store we're gonna want to hang out for a while and charge the electronics. I trust everyone brought their phone chargers?"

Tori laughed and Matthew shook his head with a smile while Diana looked a little sad and Marie looked confused.

"I thought that stuff like that wouldn't work now that world ended" said Marie.

The whole car save for Marie rumbled in laughter yet no one seemed to want to actually explain to her that that was the joke. She crossed her arms and looked out the window, donning the demeanor of a self conscious teenage girl. Tori nudged her with her shoulder and eventually Marie came around to the joke, laughing at her slowness.

The majority of the day was pretty boring. Tori convinced Matthew to plug her iPod into the speakers so they could listen to some music for a while and get away from the doom and gloom of the radio broadcasts. Katy Perry blasted for a full hour with all three of the girls dancing the best they could crammed in the back seat until Dom turned the volume down, much to their dismay.

"Hey, what gives?" Tori asked.

"Look to your left" said Dom.

The closer they got back to the Chicago area the more they started seeing people again. Just outside of Gary, Indiana groups of traffic stuck in certain spots of the highway. Dom did his best to avoid most of them by going around and sometimes even driving on the opposite side of the highway, but after a while they'd run into a blockade. Dom and Matthew got out of the car and walked forward a ways until they reached a group of people standing in the middle of the road.

"What's going on here?" asked Dom.

"Oil truck jackknifed about a mile up the road. Caught fire and blew, took some of the cars close to it with it. Couple people killed. Army won't come out and help us since they're busy in the cities. No tow trucks around to drag it."

"What do you say you come up with us and help try to figure this situation out? The faster we get up there and get this situated the faster we can all get out of here."

"Sure thing boys, I'm lookin' to split ASAP."

Dom jogged back to the car and opened the passenger door so he could speak to the girls. "Alright, we're heading up the road to see if we can move this thing along. Oil truck exploded about a mile away, lots of fire and debris so we're gonna see if we can put it out and push it out of the way."

"Well wait then, let us come and help-" Tori tried to open the back door and climb out but Dom stood in the way and held the door shut.

"I don't want you guys getting out up here. There's a lot of people around and you never know what could happen. I'd much rather you stay in the car and keep the doors closed. Matter of fact," Dom reached in and popped the trunk with the button in the console and walked around back, retrieving the shotgun and feeding it in to Tori, "keep this on you. If anyone comes poking around point it at them but don't get out of the car. Keep the doors locked and try to keep a low profile, we'll be back as soon as we can. I promise I'm not trying to be macho and keep the woman down or anything, I just don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"We get it, you're the rough and tumble strong man that's going to do manly man work to save the maidens, yadda yadda." Tori waved him off lazily and climbed into the front seat.

"Yes that's exactly it you ungrateful swine, now sit here and be quiet."

Dom took off with one last look at the girls who were all smiling. He met up with Matthew and the other man and started their trek up to the truck. Hundreds of cars lined every lane this side of the highway. Most people stayed in their cars with the doors locked, obviously afraid someone was going to hurt or rob them, or possibly both. Some people sat on their hoods or stood around and talked to others around them. A few guys nodded but most kept their eyes averted, until another couple of people stopped them as they passed.

"Where you guys headed?"

"We're going up to the truck to see if we can put the fire out and move some of the vehicles, get us out of here."

"Need some help?"

"Sure, come on" said Dom. "I'm Dom and this is my brother Matthew."

The first guy that joined them lifted his hat. "I'm Jeff."

"I'm Cooley and this Floyd. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise" said Matthew.

Jeff said he was thirty two and about six foot three. He was very lanky, probably weighed about a hundred and fifteen pounds. Cooley on the other hand was very burly, much like the man Matthew had punched the day before. He stood a head shorter than Dom but probably topped out at three twenty five, and was most likely around the same age as Jeff. Floyd was older, looked to be in his fifties by the color of his beard and his gait and was about as thin as Jeff. Not a real workhorse crew but sometimes you gotta work with what you're given.

About fifteen minutes later they reached the front of the line. Thick black smoke rose quickly from the flames on the road, making it difficult to see the full extent of what had happened. Dom shielded his eyes as he looked at the road, trying to see if the oil fire spanned the entire thing. Jeff and Matthew flanked left while Cooley and Floyd flanked right, each person trying to get a good look at what they had ahead of them. Dom noticed that the truck had finally run out of liquid oil in its base and was just left burning up what was around it on the ground. Matthew looked through the tree line to see if he could spot anything of use, spying some marsh beyond the thickest part of the trees.

"Dom, there's some wetlands on the other side of the trees over there. If we had some coolers or buckets or something we could bring it over."

"You're gonna need a hell of a lot of water to put this fire out, son" said Cooley.

"Well we better get started then, yeah?"

Each person went to the cars closest to the accident and asked for any type of container they could use to carry water. Matthew came back with a five gallon bucket and mid-sized Gatorade cooler, the kind you'd find at a kids football game. Jeff came back with two smaller cleaning buckets and Dom and Floyd came back empty handed. Jeff handed one bucket to Cooley and Matthew held up the cooler to Dom, signaling they'd fill it full and carry it together.

"Floyd, I guess you can stay here and keep watch on the fire. Make sure no one gets too close and if something happens, start pushing people back further."

"Can do" said Floyd.

The other four headed off into the grass on the other side of the guard rail, heading for the tree line. The marsh land stunk and was hard to get into since the trees were so thick but the current situation called for no frills work. They each plunged right in up to their knees, filling their buckets then turning to make the trip back. Matthew and Dom had to walk a little slower to keep from spilling too much from the cooler but they made it back in about five minutes. They positioned themselves in the middle where the fire was burning the hottest and swung the cooler forward, splashing the water in and jumping backward as fast as possible to avoid backsplash. The fire hissed loudly and more black smoke plumed into the sky.

They repeated the process about nine more times before the fire was down enough that they could see the potential of moving the truck. Two more trips and the truck was out completely, leaving only some spots in the road and a couple of cars burning. Matthew and Dom made a handful more trips until all of the fires were out and all four of the men were sweating and puffing, bent over trying to catch their breath. The next part would be finding a way to get the truck off of the road, which meant finding another big truck to push it.

Dom scanned the four lanes of traffic but didn't really see much that would help until Cooley pointed out a big Ford F350 Super Duty about fifty yards back on the right. The truck had a snow plow on the front, perfect for helping scrape the oil rig off the road. Matthew and Cooley walked back to the truck and knocked on the window, waking up the sleeping driver.

"Excuse me sir," said Matthew, "we got the fire out and now we just need to get the truck and some of the cars off the road so we can get by, and we were wondering if you'd use your truck to help us out."

"If it'll get me out of here, you betcha. How am I gonna get up there?"

"We'll get some of these people out of the way first, clear a bit of a path."

Matthew started knocking on windows of the cars around them, asking them to pull forward or roll backward a little so they could clear a diagonal line for the truck to get into the service lane and make its way up front. Everything was going good until a car backed up a little too far and hit the person behind him, causing a fit of rage in the owner of the vehicle. He got out of his car and stormed up to Matthew and the driver of the other vehicle, looking like he was ready to spit fire.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you see where you're going?"

"I'm sorry man, we're trying to clear some room so this guy can help us all get out of here." The man in the car pointed at the truck but the other man didn't look.

"I don't care what you're doing. You just scratched my eighty five thousand dollar BMW, and you're gonna pay for it."

"With what?" the man asked with a laugh, "the insurance that doesn't matter anymore since the country is collapsing?"

"No, I want your money. All of it. Hand it over."

Matthew took two steps back and the man in the car just shook his head. The man outside pulled a revolver from his waistband and pointed it.

"Now look. I don't want this to get ugly, but I'll blow your brains out if you don't give me everything you got, right now."

The man was in his mid forties most likely, balding on the top and putting on a few pounds in the middle. He looked like he may have been the manager of a retail store in his normal life, or a car salesman. He definitely didn't look like the gun brandishing type, but the end of the world as we know it will do certain things to a person.

"Look man I don't have-"

"No excuses!" yelled the man with the gun, strengthening his grip on the weapon. "I don't care if it's your last five bucks. Better I have it than you. I have a family back there in that car, kids to feed. You're here all by yourself in this piece of junk." The man with gun kicked the side of the vehicle and spit on one of the tires. "You'll be fine fending for yourself since it's only you, but I have other people to worry about. Now, you knicked my car, so I'm going to take your money, or your life. Choose fast."

Matthew kept trying to back up more and more as the man with the gun continued to talk, hoping he'd be able to get behind another car and make a break for it before the man could shoot towards him. He wasn't even sure if the man would shoot at him, but he didn't want to risk it. He stood there with his hands out by his sides, watching the man with the gun intently for any sudden movements.

"Fine you psychopath, here." The man in the car leaned to the side like he was going to reach for his wallet but instead launched half of his body out of the window of the car, lunging for the gun. The man holding the gun was startled at the sudden movement and ended up pulling the trigger, one of the reasons they teach you in gun safety to keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to take your shot. The bullet went right through the man in the car's chest and exited his back, tearing his shirt open and spraying blood into the air. The man with the gun stumbled backwards and dropped the gun on the ground, his face reflecting total shock and horror. He looked over at Matthew and then down at the gun on the ground, wondering if he should go for it. He looked back at his car, his wife and his kids, and Matthew used his momentary distraction to dive forward and get the gun off the ground.

Dom and Floyd came into view on the other side of the road, standing back a ways but close enough to see what was happening. Cooley and the man in the truck both watched from about the same distance as they worked simultaneously on how to get the man's truck through.

The man with the gun put his arms up in the air and backed up slowly towards his car. His wife was crying with her hands covering her face and the children sat in the back seat, completely oblivious to what was happening around them.

"Look, I didn't mean to shoot that man. He startled me."

"You shouldn't have had the gun on him in the first place. It's just a scratch, you can buff it out if it really matters that much to you. But in case you haven't noticed, the world is going to shit all around us."

"I have noticed, that's why I'm acting so crazy. I own a Men's Warehouse, I should be at work right now fitting people into suits and selling ties, not trying to evacuate my family in fear of being robbed and murdered."

"Tough. We all have to live with this, not just you. You say you're fleeing because you're afraid of getting robbed or killed? Look what you just did. You tried to rob that man _and_ ended up killing him. You can't claim to be afraid of the bad guys if you are one."

The man stared down at the road, unable to form words. Tears slid down his face as the people in the cars around them watched in horror at the scene that had unfolded in front of them. The man's upper body wracked with sobs for a minute until he crashed down to his knees, hands still up in the air. Matthew took one last look at the man and then at his wife. She pleaded wordlessly with Matthew to spare her husband, and with one last look he tore his gaze from the wife and turned back towards Dom and the others.

"What the hell happened?" asked Dom.

"I was asking the guy in the car if he could move back a bit to help give space for the truck when he backed up a little too far, hit the guy behind him. Dude got out and started screaming, demanded all of the money the guy in the car had. Pulled out a gun and started waving it around and everything. Guy in the car made it look like he was going for his wallet but dove half way out the window to reach for the gun. Dude with the gun panicked and pulled the trigger, shot him through and through."

"Alright this is crazy, we need to get this truck moved now and get out of here."

"I think I'm just gonna push some of these cars out of the way" said the man in the truck.

Fifteen minutes later the Ford was up at the oil tanker and already had one of the burnt cars moved. Over the next twenty he moved the other two cars and started on the tanker, pushing it lightly on each side, hoping not to spark another fire with metal on concrete contact. Two hours or so after the initial stop the road was finally clear. Matthew and Dom shook hands with the man in the truck and then Jeff, Cooley and Floyd. Everyone said their pieces and made their way back to their vehicles, being careful not to get hit by the now moving traffic. Matthew and Dom got back into Tori's car drenched in sweat, oil and marsh water. The girls covered their mouths and noses when they got in and got comfortable and they each smiled to each other.

"What can we say? Manly man work makes you stink."


	5. Restocking

It took about twenty minutes for everyone to get going again. Dom noticed the car with the dead man in it was still there and kicked himself for not getting it out of the way. When they passed the spot of the wreck Tori leaned over Marie's lap to see why there was a car still stuck in the middle of the road, noticing the body sticking half way out of it. Matthew nodded his head for Dom to pull over and the two of them got out once more, intending to move the car off the road.

"How did this happen?" Marie asked after rolling down her window.

"Little altercation over a scratched bumper and some money. Like I said, things have changed." Dom raised his eyebrows and turned around to head for the car. Matthew pushed from the back while Dom pushed from the side and steered, moving the car safely off of the road. The two men stood there and looked at each other, not entirely sure what to do. Matthew decided to open the driver's door and the back door as well, moving the man from his sitting position in the front to lying down over the back seat. Dom helped get him into position and shut the door, and they both stood silently for a moment in the wake of the loss of human life.

"We might be able to make it into Gary, Indiana before dark, even with the setback" said Dom, getting back into the driver's seat. "We'll look for a store and see if we can stock up on some items and camp in the parking lot."

"I'm sure there's a super center right off the highway" said Diana.

"There's always a super center right off the highway" said Matthew, chuckling as he put his seat belt on.

Once again the group fell into the monotony of driving. Tori sat in the middle in the back so she had easy access to her iPod that was plugged into the stereo, flicking through it lazily to find something they could all enjoy. She saw Diana staring out the window out of the corner of her eye and it reminded her of the day they met in the record store, so she put on The Six Parts Seven's last album, the one Diana had purchased. The first few chords played and Matthew clapped his hands in excitement while Marie shook her head with a smile.

"Hey Diana, this is the CD you bought in the store when we met" said Tori. "I'm guessing you didn't get a chance to open it with everything that's been going on."

"Oh cool, I'll get to find out what's so good about these guys to make them your favorite."

The next few hours was spent mostly in silence with The Six Parts Seven's discography playing from the beginning on Tori's iPod. No one really felt the need to talk as the music coursed through them, the calming instrumentals putting stressed minds at ease. Each one of them had some personal things to work out in their heads and these long stretches of driving were the perfect time. Matthew and Dom struggled with the realization that they didn't have anyone left except the three ladies in the car with them, and once they were gone it would be just them. Marie was dealing with the guilt of not knowing where her parents were, and not really caring. Diana wondered where they would end up and if all of them would survive the horrors of the new world, and what they would do if they lost one of the group. Tori figured her parents would be OK with her dad being a cop, but she was mostly worried about her sister Trina. She hadn't been heard from and no one knew where she was, and Tori wondered if she had gotten hurt in the initial riots. The possibility was a lot higher than it was just a few days ago and Tori had to convince herself to put it out of her mind so she wouldn't go crazy with worry.

By the time Dom hit the exit for Gary and took it, Tori was asleep against Diana's shoulder, Marie was asleep against her door and Matthew was air drumming to the track on the stereo. He took his navigator assignment pretty seriously, meaning he was always alert and didn't take naps or anything when he could. Dom pulled into an Art's, a local chain of superstores that carried everything from food to automobile parts. Some cars were strewn across the parking lot but it was mostly empty, and dark. The lights were off outside as well as inside, a bad omen for the next part of their night.

"Do you think we should wait until morning?" Matthew asked.

"I think so. Might as well not waste the flashlight batteries if we can help it" said Dom.

The front of the store had two entrances that stuck out, leaving a connecting piece in the middle that set back a little ways. Dom parked the car at an angle right up next to the left side entrance, leaving a space for them to set up their tents that would be guarded from wind on all sides. He put the car in park and got out, the sound of his door stirring Tori awake in the back.

"We here?"

"Sure are," said Dom, "come on out and help set up."

Tori shook Diana gently and her eyes popped open, scanning the area around her. Tori made a soft shh'ing sound, reminding her that she was safe with her friends. Diana rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched her arms forward, cracking her knuckles and yawning.

"Time to get out, huh?"

"Yep. Come on Marie, let's go." Tori reached over and shook Marie's leg until she opened her eyes as well.

When everyone was outside Dom unpacked the trunk and set everything next to the car, spreading out it so people could grab what was theirs. They were on pavement so they couldn't stake the tents down but being in the corner blocked from wind solved that problem. Tori helped Matthew set up the girl's tent while Dom set up the guy's tent and the others looked into the store from outside. Diana stood on her tiptoes and covered her eyes on the sides, looking in through the windows to see if she could spot what the situation on the side was like.

"Looks empty in there" she said.

"Empty as in items or people?" asked Dom.

"People. You can tell it's been looted but there's some stuff around from what I can see. Lots of produce still left on the stands, you'll be happy about that Tor."

"I would kill for a fresh melon right now" said Tori.

"When it gets light out we'll head in." Dom got their mobile command center set up again, kicking out the legs of the table and setting the laptop and map on top of it. "It'll still be kind of dark but we won't have to use our lights as much in the front."

"Hey Dom, there's some outlets over here" said Matthew. "I'm gonna head in and look for an extension cord and some surge protectors real quick. Marie, you wanna come?"

Marie perked her head up from her bag. "Sure, sounds like an adventure."

The two of them each grabbed a flashlight from the survival bag and headed in the front door. It had to be pried open since the automatic sensors weren't working but it was easier than Matthew imagined. They walked inside slowly, flicking their lights on in the face of almost total darkness. After passing through the cart area they noticed the row of cash registers had been completely torn apart. Change littered the floor from one side of the store to the other and the drawers themselves were scattered around as well. Plastic bags lay in stacks on the floor, some strewn about in different areas. The aisles between registers seemed mostly intact but their bounty lay dislodged on the floor. They began moving into the store slowly, scanning all of the area in front of them with their flashlights before they moved.

Marie broke off to the left when she found a stand with produce bags still standing. She took two bags off and filled them with apples, bananas and a melon for Tori. Matthew followed up with a bag of oranges and a bag each of green and purple grapes. After they secured the fruit they moved back to the right side of the store, crossing over in the main aisle between the registers and the clothing racks. The electronics section was in the back right corner and that's where they needed to be. Matthew led the way past the pharmacy section, making a mental note to look for general things like aspirin and cough medicine when they came in the next morning. This part of the store wasn't as trashed as the rest but you could tell it had been picked through pretty carefully. Once they reached the back Matthew scanned the signs and found what he was looking for. A fifty foot heavy duty extension cord would be more than enough for what they needed at the moment. Unfortunately, there was only one surge protector left and it only had four plugs, and Matthew wasn't even sure if it still worked from the shape it was in.

He grabbed the two cords and wrapped them around his arm, turning to look for the camping aisle to see if he could snag a couple air mattresses for them to sleep on when he heard a high pitched scream rip through the air somewhere in front of him. Matthew dropped everything he was holding and bolted around the corner, looking frantically for Marie, hoping she hadn't gotten hurt. Two aisles up his light flashed across two faces before finding Marie's, her eyes open wide in shock. Two kids had gripped onto her legs and were trying to pull her to the ground while a third looked on from the side.

"Get-off-me!" Marie screamed, trying to shake the kids from her legs without falling over.

Matthew ran up pulled each kid off one at a time, pushing them away towards the older one that watched from a few paces back. The boy pulled the two smaller kids behind him and stepped up, holding a small pocket knife in his right hand.

"Easy now kid" said Matthew, putting his hands up. "We don't want to hurt you or take anything from you, OK? We just need an extension cord so we can charge some things. What's your name?"

The boy stood stone-faced with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, my name is Matthew, and this is Marie. We're passing through the area and stopped here to grab some supplies. What are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

The boy didn't speak and and the two other kids behind him watched with wide eyes. He looked down patted each kid on the head softly, roughing up their hair a bit. Matthew kept his eye on the knife in the boy's hand but tried to not make it obvious.

"Alright Marie, looks like they're not too friendly," said Matthew quietly, "let's get our stuff and go."

Matthew started walking away, putting his arm around Marie to bring her up to speed. Before they could round the corner the boy stepped forward, finally speaking up.

"My dad's been gone for a long time, and I don't know where our mom is" he said. It sounded like he hadn't used his voice much lately.

Matthew stopped and turned on the spot. "How long ago did she leave?"

"A day or two. She brought me and my brothers here, saying she needed to pick up some things before we got out of town. We were waiting up front by one of the registers and she told me to grab a candy bar for each of us and she'd be right back. We searched the aisles for something we liked-I got a kit-kat and Jake got a payday and Brad got M&Ms-and by the time we were done she hadn't come back."

Marie knew what was coming next but it didn't soften the blow in her gut. She turned towards Matthew and leaned into him, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"We waited there for what seemed like forever. Finally it started to get dark and people were rushing in and out even faster than before so I grabbed my brothers and we headed back here where there was less people. I got worried that if we left that spot my mom wouldn't find us, but I wanted to keep my brothers safe. When it got real dark and we didn't hear voices no more I just figured she forgot about us and left, so I stayed back here with my brothers. Now I have to make sure they're OK."

"What's your name?" Matthew asked again, rubbing Marie's back gently as she dripped silent tears into the sleeve of his shirt.

"Jonny."

"Well Jonny, are you guys staying fed and hydrated at least?"

"Sure. People took a lot of the food and stuff at first but there's some left for us. We grabbed a few cases of bottled water and there's a drinking fountain in the back."

"Why don't you have any lights?"

"We do, we turned them off when we heard you guys prying the door open."

Jonny stepped around Brad and turned the two camping oil lamps back on. They hung from the aisle racks with wire coat hangers. The end of the aisle had been turned into a little living spot for the three boys. A few small chairs had been wrangled and an air mattress had been blown up with some pillows and blankets tossed on top. Matthew nodded his head, impressed with the setup the kids had made for themselves. They even had a stereo plugged in with the antenna set up on top so they could get radio reception, although Matthew assumed it was for music and not to listen to the news broadcasts about the conflict.

"You guys are doing pretty well huh?" Marie asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Jonny does a good job" said Jake, diving onto the air mattress over and over again.

"I try to make sure they eat and stuff, but I don't really know what all there is to it. I mean I watched my mom do stuff around the house but actually being the one to do it is weird."

"How old are you?"

"Twelve. I'll be thirteen in two months."

"That's good. You look like you're pretty strong, you eat your vegetables and stuff?"

"Yeah. Mom always said it was important to eat my greens if I want to play football like my older brother Taylor."

"Four boys, huh? Your mom must have had fun with that" said Marie.

"Oh yeah. She got really mad sometimes when we would wrestle around in house and make a lot of noise, or if we got really into playing outside and came in all covered in dirt and mud. My brother told me to say 'Don't worry mom, boys will be boys' and when I did she turned red. Taylor thought it was funny but I think she was really mad."

"Marie, can I talk to you for a sec?" Matthew asked.

The two of them walked back a ways, crossing over a couple aisles so they could talk in private.

"We need to go. The others are going to be wondering where we are and we need to get this stuff out there so we can plug the laptop and GPS in."

Marie looked back towards the kids and then towards the door. "We can't leave these kids here, Matty. They've already been abandoned twice, and they won't be able to survive by themselves for very long once this store is emptied."

"I know, trust me I do, but there's nothing we can do. It's the same as it was with the girls in the car. We don't have room for them. I don't like it as much as anyone, but Dom was right. It's not like we would just take care of them for a couple weeks until everything goes back to normal. The world isn't going to go back to normal. If we took these kids it would be for years, possibly for life. None of us are equipped to take on that task, we're barely able to take care of ourselves."

"We can't leave them here Matty. We can't."

Marie started crying again and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Matthew reached forward a consoling hand but Marie shrugged away, keeping her eyes on the ground. Matthew took a deep breath and let it out slowly, chewing on the side of his lip while he tried to figure out something to say. He knew deep down there was nothing that would really make Marie feel any better about leaving these kids behind since her father left her so many years ago and she had to deal with her broken statue of a mother, but he figured he would at least try to give her some sort of peace of mind.

"Look Marie, these kids are going to have a lot of hard times ahead of them. So are we. So is everyone. The best way to learn is by doing, and Jonny seems to have a pretty good grip on what's happening. He's been able to set up a little living area for them with a bed and lights and everything. They have some food water for a while, and when it runs out they'll venture out into the city to find another store or go to a house close by. I wish we could take them under our wing and care for them the way they should be cared for, but the reality is we're not their parents, and we're not in a comfortable enough position to be taking care of kids. I know Jonny isn't either, and it's not right, it's not fair, but the world isn't fair. It never was."

Marie wiped her tears again and walked away without saying anything. Matthew closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, upset that the words didn't go across like he'd wanted them to. He walked around the corner the way Marie had went, back towards the kids. She crouched in front of Jake while he told her a story and Brad played with some action figures on the bed. Jonny was doing a quick inspection of the food they had on the shelves near them and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"The kids really like ravioli and canned peaches, so when we run low on something I write it down so I can be sure I don't forget anything when I head to the other side of the store to pick stuff up."

Matthew noticed two carts on the other side of the bed. One was full of trash while the other was empty, probably used to transport food and other materials. The look on the little kids' faces as they played and told stories was making Matthew antsy. He didn't want to leave them anymore than Marie did, but the world was harsh and their reality was inescapable.

"OK guys, we need to go. Marie and I have some friends with us that are waiting for us to get back with the cords so we can charge our toys and stuff."

"Are you gonna come back?" Jonny asked.

Matthew winced at the horrible physical pain in his chest. "I don't think so, buddy. We need to keep moving so we can find some other friends of ours. It's like a big giant game of hide and seek."

"I love hide and seek. Maybe when you find the rest of your friends you can come back here and start a new game with us. We play here in the store sometimes, but only during the day when there's more light cause the kids get scared of the dark sometimes."

Marie couldn't control her tears anymore and she stood there openly sobbing. Jonny looked past Matthew and cocked his head to the side, almost like a curious dog.

"Why's she crying?"

"She, uh," Matthew turned around and looked at Marie then back to Jonny, "she's just upset that we can't play our game just yet. She wants to play real bad but we can't until we find the rest of our friends."

Jonny walked around Matthew to Marie and hugged her, leaning his head against her stomach.

"It's OK, we'll be here when you get back. Just come back here and say the word and we can play for as long as you want."

Matthew wiped a couple of his own tears away and cleared his throat, turning to head back towards the door. He moved a couple aisles over and picked up the fruit and cords he'd gathered before then went back for Marie.

"It was nice to meet you guys, I hope we'll see you again someday." Matthew high-fived Jonny and nodded to the other boys.

"Sure sure. Good luck finding your friends."

Marie turned around quickly and started walking back towards the door with her light pointed straight ahead. She bent down and picked up the fruit she'd dropped as well and kept going without missing a beat.

"Marie, come on. We can't afford to be mad at each other."

"Well what _can _we afford then, huh?" She stopped in the middle of the aisle and turned to Matthew, her eyes red and burning from crying. "We can't afford to bring anyone with us and we can't afford to argue with each other, we can barely afford to keep ourselves going. What's the point then? What are we working towards? Are we just supposed to scrape by like this, every single day until we die?"

"I don't know. I can't imagine what's going to happen in the future. I sure as hell never planned for something like this to happen, who's to say something miraculous won't happen in the next couple of weeks to turn this all around?"

"No one plans for anything like this to happen. Those kids didn't plan to be abandoned by their parents, and they didn't plan to have to fend for themselves in a looted supermarket either. They didn't plan on scraping by all alone while people take from around them but leave leave them there. As human beings we're defined by what we do when the going gets tough, not by what we have when the going is easy."

Marie turned and took off once more and Matthew padded after her, trying to slow her down but she was intent on getting out of the store as quickly as possible. It had gotten completely dark outside in the time they were in the store and maneuvering was difficult since Marie was so sporadic with her light. Matthew turned his on and tried to hold it straight as he carried the materials, catching up to her a bit as they made their way out the door and back into the fresh night air.

"What took you guys so long?" Dom asked, eating a can of hickory-smoked beans.

Marie dumped the things in her arms on the table and walked past Dom without a word, bumping into Tori as she ran for the girls' tent and got in. Tori looked to Matthew curiously at the same time as Dom, both waiting for an explanation.

"We found some kids in there. The oldest is twelve and the two younger ones are probably seven and eight. Marie really took a liking to them and wanted to bring them with us but I told her it was like the other girls," Matthew thumbed his hand at Dom as he spoke, "how you were saying we don't have room for other people."

"I know it's hard but you did the right thing" said Dom, clapping his brother on the shoulder.

"Yeah. I tried to explain it to Marie in a way that would make it easier for her but she just got mad at me. I really hope she sees that we aren't doing this stuff because we like it and she comes to terms with that, I don't want her to be mad at me."

Tori walked forward and brought Matthew into a hug, squeezing him hard to allow him to squeeze back and let out some tension. He kissed her on the cheek as they pulled apart and she smiled.

"I'll talk to her and see if I can help a bit" said Tori.

"Thanks Tor, I don't know what I'd do without you."

The rest of that night was full of tension and silence. Everyone knew that there were a few kids in the store that needed their help and they couldn't do anything about it. These little kids, two of them barely old enough to be in school and the oldest not even in high school, were having to fend for themselves in the same way that they were. Of course, they had a pretty good starting spot with the supermarket, but it would eventually run out of stock and the boys would be forced to move somewhere else. Did they know how to get anywhere in town? Was Jonny good enough to get them to a new safe place undetected? These questions went through everyone's mind at at least one point through the night, and the resulting stress made it hard for anyone to maintain conversation.

Marie went straight to the girls' tent and crashed. She lay in her sleeping bag thinking about the boys and what they would do when their group was gone. She hoped that Jonny was smart and capable enough to get them everything they needed but she remembered he was only twelve, and the thought just made her heart hurt even more. He was only two months away from thirteen, the big one-three. He'd be a teenager, independent and capable. He'd be able to babysit his brothers in a normal situation, so if she thought of this as a big vacation type thing she could just say he was babysitting and it made her feel a little better.

Dom took the car to the other end of the parking lot to see if the pumps still had any gas left in them. After checking all six pumps he managed to get about half a tank, putting them up to three quarters of a tank. Tori's car was pretty good on gas, since this was the first time they'd gotten any since they left Chicago. He pulled the car back around and parked it in the same spot it was before and got out, making sure the electronics were plugged in and covered before he crawled into his tent and fell asleep.

The next morning came quickly as all mornings usually did in their new lives. Tori was the first up, having gone to bed first after Marie. Marie spend a lot of the night crying so Tori knew she was going to have a rough day when she woke up. She made a note to look for headache medicine when they went inside, hoping the pharmacy area hadn't been too cleaned out. When Tori got out of the tent she was up for maybe five minutes before Matthew made his way out, stretching and yawning as he stumbled to his feet. He looked down at himself and smelled his shirt, wincing as he slid it over his head. Tori popped the trunk with the remote on her keys so he could grab some new clothes and change, tying the dirty clothes tightly in a plastic bag. As he finished changing Dom emerged next, noticing Matthew's new clothes and looking down at his own. He made to change as well while Matthew and Tori threw some stuff together for breakfast.

"We should get in there as soon as possible and load up, we don't know if anyone is going to be coming this way anytime soon. I want to get some stuff and get gone." Dom slid his new shirt of his head and tossed a couple empty bags on the table.

"Alright, I'll wake up the other two, you guys get the flashlights set up" said Tori.

Diana was already awake when Tori entered the tent, leaning up on her elbow and smiling. She looked over at Marie and ran her free hand across her back, patting her on the hip gently as she spoke.

"Marie, time to head inside and load up."

"I can't go back in there."

Diana was kind of surprised at how clear and awake she sounded, her face mimicking the surprise on Tori's. They both stared down at Marie as she lay unmoving, head covered by her sleeping bag. Tori knew she would be sensitive to the whole thing for a while so when she said she didn't want to go back inside Tori decided to accept that, pulling Diana out of the tent and zipping it shut. When the two girls appeared without Marie Matthew looked upset and worried, his eyes flicking over to the girls' tent every few seconds. He was afraid that the whole thing had changed Marie's view of him, same thing Dom was afraid of. Having to be a hard ass in these situations was never fun, but sometimes it had to be done to keep everything on course.

Tori felt like the pain emanating from Marie was piercing right into her chest, almost like she could touch it. When she looked towards the tent her heartbeat sped up a bit and slammed inside her chest, and she could almost taste the tears on her tongue. It was an experience like she'd never had before. She backed away from the tent and made eye contact with Matthew, once again feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt and loss. The abundance of strong feelings coming from both sides almost sent her into a panic mode but she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, eventually calming down enough to come back to the present. Dom eyed her carefully but Tori smiled and walked back up to the table, trying to abolish any sense of suspicion.

The four of them grabbed flashlights and bags and headed inside, each splitting up to different areas to load up. Tori got produce and other farm stuff, Matthew got canned goods, Diana got snack foods and Dom went to check the pharmacy area for first aid and other medicine. They each checked their areas as closely as they could for a good hour, stuffing their bags as much as they could with what was left over. Matthew's gaze kept wandering to the other side of the store where he knew the boys were, even though their light was off. He wondered if Jonny knew it was them, or if he was scared all over again thinking that some new people were here and might hurt them if they were found. He finished filling his bag and made for the door, intent on getting out of the store and back on the road as quickly as possible.

Tori finished up at about the same time as Diana and they both exited together, setting their stuff on the table next to Matthew's. They waited for another twenty minutes before Dom came out with his bag.

"I found a lot of good stuff in the pharmacy, we got lucky."

"So did we. I guess this place didn't really get hit that hard in the beginning." Tori popped a grape in her mouth as she sorted through her bounty.

"There's enough canned food at least to last a few weeks, more if we ration" said Matthew. "That bag weighs like fifty pounds."

Marie came out of the tent and everyone sort of froze; she looked around and smiled weakly, stumbling a little until she found her footing. Matthew walked over to the table and sorted through the medicine, grabbing a couple Aleve and a bottle of water for Marie to help her get rid of her headache. She took the pills and drained almost the whole bottle of water, laughing as she set it down on the table. Tori watched her as she went from bag to bag on the table, looking through what everyone got. She stopped at Matthew's bag of canned goods, picking up a few to see to the bottom. She replaced the cans and stopped moving for a second, chewing on her thumbnail. Tears formed in her eyes again and Tori almost walked around the table to hug her but she moved towards Matthew, curling up into his chest . He wrapped his arms around her and looked at the others, confused.

"I know what you did."

Matthew realized why she was crying and smiled down at her, smoothing her hair down her back. "I'm not a bad guy, I promise. Just sometimes we have to make bad decisions."

"I know. I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I don't feel any better about it."

"Neither do I" said Matthew, looking through the windows from the parking lot. "Neither do I."

They all got to work rolling up sleeping bags and taking down the tents so they could pack up the car again. Dom put all his stuff away quickly and loaded the food so he could have some more time to look at the map while the rest of the group finished up, plotting their stops along the highway.

"Our next stop will be in Omaha, and then Sioux Falls, but after that we don't have anywhere to really stop until we get to Washington. We're gonna have to load up hard on those stops if we can and ration. We're going to want a good amount of food in case we run out of gas and have to hike."

All three girls froze in their spots at the word hike.

"Seriously? I almost forgot that's even possible. You better hope we don't run out of gas, I suck at carrying things and my feet get tired really fast." Marie shook her head to clear her thoughts from blisters and dehydration.

"That food will be heavy, too. All those cans really add up." Diana drove this time while Tori sat in front, and Marie sat in the middle in the back with Matthew behind her and Dom behind Diana. "What's up with all those beans anyway, Matthew? You couldn't have gotten some spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli?"

"They didn't have any. I checked."

"Really? They had ten thousand cans of beans but literally no ravioli? Not even any macaroni and beef?"

"Nope, not a single can."

Marie smiled but kept her eyes straight through the windshield and Matthew bit his thumb to keep from laughing. As Diana pulled out of the parking lot they both looked back at the store, their smiles fading slightly at the memory of the bright-faced little boys stowed away in the electronics section. The glowing green eyes of Jonny and the shaggy, sandy blonde hair his brothers had that he liked to ruffle up. Marie reached over and took Matthew's hand and squeezed it, looking for some comfort but sending some of her own to him. She hoped that maybe one day they would run into the boys again, if the world ever stopped being crazy or if they just happened to come back this way and find them in the exact same spot. Jonny did say they would be there, and weirder things have happened. The store disappeared behind them and everyone buckled down for another day of driving, holding their tongues from complaining for the simple fact that they were relieved they weren't walking. At least, not yet.


	6. You Had To Say It

Omaha had been cleaned out much more thoroughly than Gary had, and the first two stores the group stopped at didn't have anything of substance. The car was running low on gas and their bottled water supply was down quite a bit. Dom had pulled over in a McDonald's parking lot to save gas while they decided on where to search next when Matthew had the idea to go inside.

"Think about it. They probably still have a ton of frozen stuff in there. Electricity is still on in this area, and even if it wasn't I guarantee they have a generator. We can raid the freezers and make a smorgasbord of stuff. French fries, burgers, chicken nuggets, whatever we want."

"I'm in" said Tori, putting a hand over her growling stomach. "I could use a double quarter pounder right now."

"Yeah, like you could finish one of those" said Diana.

"You obviously haven't known Tori very long. She ate two back to back at my house one night, I thought _I_ was gonna throw up but she held it like a champ." Marie laughed at the memory and Tori shook her head appreciatively.

They all got out of the car and headed inside, trying to keep a low profile in the open parking lot. Some people were still around in the bigger cities and they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. The door was unlocked so Matthew pulled it open and held it for everyone, turning to survey the inside of the store to make sure it was empty. He and Dom checked all of the bathrooms and the play area, including the ball pit and the tubes, but didn't find anyone. The mid-evening sun was blaring through the windows at eye level, casting long shadows inside the store since the lights were off. Everyone headed behind the counter into the kitchen to start looking for things to make.

Marie had a job at Wendy's when she was fifteen, the first job she ever got with her work permit, so she knew how to run the fryers and everything. Marie got the fryers and grills going to warm up while everyone else checked the smaller freezers and the big walk-in freezer in the back, grabbing burger patties and mounds of chicken nuggets. When they had around a couple dozen of everything in the store they hauled it up to the front, dropping baskets of fries and nuggets before putting chicken and hamburger patties on the grill. Dom finished up with what he had before heading to the drive-thru window to fill up a drink, sipping on it while he addressed the group.

"We've all been pretty scant with food over the past week, so be careful pigging out on this stuff. Not only is it not good for you but your stomachs have shrunk a little, so you won't be able to handle as much as you could before."

"He means you Tori" said Marie, grabbing a drink of her own. "Only one double for you today."

"Well I'll start with one and we'll wing it from there." Tori stuck her tongue out and grabbed an oatmeal raisin cookie from the stand on the counter. "These are probably stale but oh well."

Tori, Diana and Matthew hung out in the play place while they waited for the food to cook and cool down enough to eat. Matthew did a little front flip into the ball pit and Diana cheered him on from one of the tubes up above. Tori sat on top of the mouth of the slide with her legs on either side, sipping her drink and looking out the window. She wasn't paying attention to what was happening inside and when Matthew noticed he made to scare her, climbing from the ball pit to the strap tunnel near the slide. He got into position quietly as Tori sat completely oblivious, and when she went to take another drink he yelled out right next to her, making her jump and drop her drink down on the slide. The top popped off and the water went everywhere with just perfect enough timing that Diana slid through it coming down the side. Diana yelped out when the cold water soaked through her jeans and Matthew laughed with a fervor unmatched.

Dom and Marie came running into the play place at full speed, looks of terror on their faces at the two high pitched screams that had rang through the store.

"What's going on?" asked Dom.

"Your _brother_ scared the shit out of me and I dropped my drink, then Diana slid through it."

Matthew lay on his back in the tunnel with his hand on his stomach, unable to stop laughing. "It was so great dude, you should have seen Tori's face."

"Well try to keep the blood-curdling screams down next time, yeah?" asked Dom, turning back for the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"I'm gonna go try to dry off a bit" said Diana.

Matthew and Tori headed into the kitchen as Diana went towards the bathroom by the side entrance. The chicken nuggets had come out and were lying in a giant pile on a tray, surrounded with handfuls of dipping sauce. The smell of cooked food was one of welcome; the group hadn't had more than a mouthful of warm, fresh food in a whole week. They'd been living mostly on canned beans and dry stuff like crackers and bread, but though it'll keep you full you get tired of it really quick. Luckily no one in the group seemed to get cranky without eating well, at least not yet.

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom and wash up before we eat" said Tori, setting her empty cup at the booth nearest the kitchen. She walked around the corner and entered the same bathroom Diana had gone in a couple minutes prior, stopping in her tracks as soon as she laid eyes on her friend.

Diana stood in the middle of the bathroom floor in her underwear, her jeans pressed flat up against the wall with nothing holding them up. She had both of her hands up in front of her, palms out, with pulses of what Tori could only guess were heat waves coming out of them. The wet spots on Diana's jeans were almost completely gone but when she noticed Tori she jumped, losing her concentration so her jeans fell to the floor. She ran over and grabbed them as quick as she could, jumping into them and shimmying them up past her hips. Tori stood unmoving near the door, not sure of what she'd just seen.

"How did that...I mean was there something..."

"I can explain, I swear" said Diana, looking incredibly guilty and scared at the same time.

"You were just floating your pants...and drying them off...with your hands?" The end of Tori's statement came out as a sort of question as her mind was having trouble wrapping around the concept of something so fantastical.

"I...There's things about me that you don't know, at least not yet."

"Apparently. I'm assuming it's something that's not really a topic for the dinner table so we'll keep it under wraps and talk about it later. As long as it's nothing dangerous or anything that I, we, should worry about. Because if so-"

"Tori, it's fine," Diana interrupted, heading towards the door, "I promise I'm not going to kill you with demonic spells or anything. Let's go eat."

Tori could barely concentrate enough to breathe much less eat. Everyone ate and drank and joked around her, even Diana, but she just couldn't tear her mind away from what she'd seen. Obviously Diana must be really comfortable with obscuring who she really was with the way she was laughing and carrying on with the group, like the whole scene in the bathroom didn't even happen. Tori wondered if she really had seen what she thought she saw, and if she did, what else could Diana do? Could she do all of the scary things people talk about in stories? Read minds, control people's actions? She wasn't sure what the extent of it would be since she wasn't aware of any precedent for fiction leaking into real life.

The sun was most of the way down now and the store was getting dark. They didn't want to turn the lights on since the store would become a beacon in the night for anyone in the area, and they were trying to be security conscious. Tori turned sideways and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, trying to absorb the enormity of everything. They were in the middle of a nationwide crisis, surviving together with what little they had, trying to avoid riots and bombings and fires, and at the same time finding out magic is apparently real, and one of the members of their group can do it. Just a typical day. Dom still had a watchful eye on Tori and he wasn't sure what to make of her behavior.

"You feelin' OK, Tor? You didn't really eat much and you seem like you've kinda been off on another planet or something."

"Yeah Dom I'm good, just checking on myself internally to make sure I'm coping with everything and not pushing it to the back without noticing." Tori didn't make eye contact out of fear she would give herself away.

"Well that's good, that's something we all should be doing" said Dom, getting up to dump the trash off the tray. "We need to be careful of our mental health just as much, if not even more, than our physical health."

"Well now that we're all fed, what's the plan?" asked Matthew. "It's dark and we're almost out of gas again."

Dom sat back down and leaned forward with his elbows on the table, both fists on either side of his chin. On one hand they needed to keep moving, but on the other hand they were short on gas and driving around in the dark to find some wasn't the best idea. He figured most people that were still around were looking to loot stores for electronics or DVDs or whatever else they wanted, forgetting the fact that when everything broke down there would be no power, that the McDonald's they were in would be a safe place to camp for the night.

"I guess we'll stay here. We can get some rest and then head out again at first light to try to find some gas and get moving again."

"You had to say it didn't you, Dom?" asked Marie.

"Say what?"

"That we could run out of gas and have to walk."

Dom and the others all laughed, but Marie didn't find what she had said to be particularly funny.

Tori cracked her neck and stood up, angling herself towards the play place. "I'm gonna go clear out the ball pit since it has a padded bottom. If we get all of the balls out there's enough room for us all to sleep on something that's not the ground for once."

"I'll help" said Diana, getting up to follow her.

The group dispersed, going different directions to accomplish different tasks. Tori and Diana were in the play place alone but the air was thick with tension, making it equally as uncomfortable as if they were being watched by a large crowd. Tori crawled into the ball pit and sat on her knees, clearing the pit out one by one. Diana came in from the other side, making short eye contact with an apologetic look. She started tossing the pit balls in the same direction as Tori, her head down and mouth closed.

"So...what are you?" asked Tori.

"Heh, good question. Back in my old life in Seattle, the group of friends I told you about, our circle of friends wasn't just people hanging out, it was a circle of magic. All of our families had some magical history and we didn't even know it at first, until I found my family's book of shadows."

"What's that?"

"It's a kind of spell book, but also just a general information thing. Families that practiced wrote their experiences in there, new spells, information on bad people, you know, your typical after school TV show."

"What happened with you guys? How did you all come together, find out you were alike?" Tori was still clearing out the pit but a lot more slowly now, her mind taken off the task by something far more interesting and in-depth.

"Well we all have individual magic, like we can do some small things by ourselves, and of course we all abused it a little bit. Whenever we'd do something in public there would be the guilty look to see if anyone caught you, and we just noticed it in each other over time. It became a little more apparent when we realized that we'd all lost a parent in the same year, and some investigation proved to us that all of our parents had been friends. I started hanging out with Adam-"

"Your ex Adam? He was magical too?"

"Yes. We started hanging out and then everyone else just fell into place over time. But, uh, things got complicated and, well, our circle ended up broken."

Diana looked down at the ball pit and rolled one of them around in her hands, biting her lip a little like she wasn't sure what to say. Tori felt a little ball of pain in her gut that she worked out to be a sadness, mixed with a little resentment. She clenched at her belly button to ease the tension of the pit of her stomach but it didn't seem to work very well.

"Some people died, some people went dark. I found out I had a sister and that our dad's side of the family was based in black magic, and when things started getting scary and dangerous I wanted out. After my adoptive dad and my real dad both died, my new sister was on the brink of losing herself and my boyfriend went over the edge, I knew I had to get out of there."

"So this was all just recently then, yeah?"

"Sort of. I got out of town pretty much immediately and went down to California, spent some time near the beach. I just needed to clear my head and get away from it all. I had money in the bank from my parents so I was covered and just got a hotel room for a few months."

"And then you came here from there?"

"Yep. I've been trying to leave it all behind me and even not practice, but it's hard knowing I can do things others can't, things that can make life a lot easier sometimes."

"Like drying your pants off."

"Right."

"Well I mean if I could do stuff like that I would too. But I guess my question is, what's the extent of your ability? Can you do some really crazy X-Men stuff?"

Diana laughed and threw a ball at Tori. "No, it's not like that. I can't throw cars with my mind or morph into anything. I can't _read_ minds or any of that either, so you can squash that one. Basically I can unlock locks, open doors without using my hands, pin stuff up against walls, and maybe manipulate the air a little bit."

"Seems kind of anti-climactic from what you see in the movies, huh?"

"Yeah well, when our circle was bound we were a lot stronger. We could bring buildings down if we wanted to. And me, having a dark side, I can do quite a bit more but I don't let myself. Dark magic is a bad road and it consumes you, turns you into something, someone, you aren't."

"I guess it's a good thing you have self control then."

"I guess. Alright, let's get this cleaned out so we can set up."

The two women cleared out the ball pit and headed out to the car to bring in the sleeping bags. They dragged everything into the play place and set up the sleeping quarters while Matthew and Marie kept cooking in the kitchen, making a bunch of burgers and chicken sandwiches that they could take on the road with them. Dom, as usual, was poured over the maps with the laptop open, trying to find any decent sized towns along 90. He made a mark at Helena, Montana, even though it was a little ways off the highway. They'd need to stop anywhere they could for supplies if the smaller towns were cleaned out.

A rumbling down the street caught Dom's ear and he got up from the booth, crouching low by the door so he could see out across the parking lot. Two large trucks passed by with men in the back and spotlights mounted to the top. The light raked over the parking lot and Dom shouted "get down!" just before it swept through the store. No one moved or made a sound and the trucks continued to roll by slowly, shining their lights everywhere they would reach. Soon the rumbling was gone and Dom stood back up, heading around to the play place.

"It's fine, probably some bandits looking for people to rob. They passed."

"Sucks that they might actually find someone" said Tori.

"Welcome to the new America."

The night wound down and people started going to sleep one by one. Dom crashed first since he volunteered to drive again. Matthew and Marie were still in the kitchen, amusing themselves with soda sprayers and whatever else they could find back there, and Diana and Tori hung out in the play place. The wind had picked up outside and it whistled through the windows all around them, playing an eerie chorus of howls in the large open area. Tori climbed all the way up to the highest bubble in the structure and laid back, closing her eyes to help her think a little bit.

They'd been out in the new world as it were for just three days. It was a week since the whole thing started rolling, but the past three days marked the escalation point. It seemed the country had gone from OK-well, what people accepted as OK-to simply nothing. The country didn't seem to even exist anymore. They'd seen a few people here and there and on the packed highway, not to mention all of the bodies on the bridge, but it still felt like everywhere they went was empty. Tori never felt particularly Patriotic but the way the nation was crumbling in on itself had a very lonely feeling attached. She expected to see a lot more looting and rioting but they'd hardly ran into any. A few buildings had been burned down that they could see from the highway but the majority of the damage was most likely in town, places that they didn't normally travel to.

Matthew came into the play place area and nodded his head with a small wave, signaling that he was headed to bed himself. Diana waved back from inside the mouth of the slide. She felt like a sort of rift had opened up between her and Tori from her unexpected learning of Diana's 'witchy' side. She'd tried to keep it tightly under wraps ever since she'd left the city, hoping that if she used her magic less and never talked about it or anything that she would be able to leave that part of her life behind and start somewhere fresh. Her second nature won in the end, though, since her magic was a part of her. It wasn't something that was easily thrown away. She liked to think of it as a skill, like throwing a spiral or parallel parking. Once you learn how to do it you never forget and it just becomes a part of who you are, and you use those skills without even thinking about it. Of course that train of thought was dangerous, seeing as how someone spotting her throwing a football was entirely different than the same person spotting her starting fires with her hands.

Marie made her way into the room a little after Matthew, finishing the last bits of a chicken sandwich as she scanned their sleeping quarters. She kicked her shoes off and slid them into one of the little cubby holes that little kids are supposed to put their shoes in when they go to play in the play place, a gesture that Diana found funny. She watched Marie grab Dom's laptop and open it up in a booth by the pop fountain when she was suddenly hit in the back with a thud.

"What the-"

"Well I needed to get down and this was the quickest way" said Tori, smiling wickedly with Diana settled in between her legs.

"You could have warned me."

"Yeah but what fun would that be? I'd miss this look on your face."

Diana laughed and got up so Tori could move the rest of the way through. Tori made her way towards the drinks so she could grab some water after being lodged up that dusty bubble for so long while Diana settled back into her spot.

"I'm gonna get some sleep so I can try to be a useful navigator in the morning when Dom drives." Tori finished her water and threw the cup in the trash. "I think we should all be learning how to do everything in case one of us-"

"I think I get it," said Diana, "go get some rest."

She watched Tori climb into the ball pit and then laid back once more, closing her eyes inside the tube slide. The thought of losing one of the members of their group was rough, but it was a definite possibility in their new world. She thought of how the dynamic would change if each different person left. Tori's charm and good nature, Dom's know-how and headstrong leadership, Matthew's kindness and willingness to do whatever it takes, Marie's snarky humor and blunt honesty. Diana knew she had the capability to be a strong leader but Dom was so in his element at the front of the pack that she didn't want to encroach; it seemed to be where he was most comfortable and lately being comfortable was a luxury one didn't enjoy often.

The other thought was of what would happen when she eventually had to tell the group that she didn't have any family there and that her parents were dead. She would tell Tori first and see how she reacted and use that as a basis for how the others might perceive the news. Truth be told, Tori was the first new friend she'd made in years, and the first person she'd been any bit close to in the last six months. There were definitely some feelings there but she wasn't sure if it was just because she was happy to be around someone again or if there was something else. It would be dangerous to move on something without being sure it was actually real. She hoped that Tori wouldn't be too upset about her lie and that maybe if the others were she could help calm them down. They needed to get out of the city anyway, so what would be the big deal?

Diana's fear of being ostracized and just the general stress of everything lately had started to wash over her and it was heavy. She got up from the slide and walked towards the ball pit, waving to Marie when she looked up from the laptop. Marie waved back and continued what she was doing, which Diana noticed on the way by was trying to conquer the tenth level of Tetris. Funny how even in the midst of a nationwide crisis you can still find time to play video games. Diana crawled into the ball pit and found her sleeping bag next to Tori's, who seemed to be sound asleep, curled up in a little ball. The sound of Matthew and Dom's breathing was almost sing-song as they were opposite; one person in, one person out.

Diana got into her sleeping bag and tried to get comfortable, knowing she wouldn't get much sleep with her big news on her mind. Tori, who wasn't as asleep as she looked, kicked back to life when she felt Diana lay down near her. She went from resting peacefully to feeling like she was running a mile a minute, her heart slamming in her chest but eventually calming down when she regained control of it. She was concerned about what would cause that, wondering if maybe she was getting sick or just overreacting. She rolled over in her spot and made eye contact with Diana, who smiled her brilliant white smile that Tori could see pretty clearly even in the dark. All of a sudden the feeling in her chest switched from fear to excitement, with a little bit of panic still lurking around the edges. Diana's light brown eyes mimicked her own, as did a lot of her figure Tori noticed. They were about the same height, same weight, with the same color hair and eyes. They looked each other over for a second before Diana tore her gaze away, a sense of guilt emanating between them.

"Are you OK?" Tori asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. With everything that's going on now thinking can kind of get you in trouble."

"I suppose you're right. I try not to live in my head too much and concentrate on achieving some kind of goal." Tori shifted her sleeping bag over to the right about two feet, putting her squarely next to Diana so they could talk quietly. "If things slow down for a long time I end up thinking about my parents and my sister and I worry about where they are, if they're OK. I left L.A in kind of a hurry."

Diana cringed a little at the mention of parents, her palms starting to sweat. "Yeah I can imagine that gets rough."

"I'm sure you worry about your family too. Don't you?"

"Tori...I, uh, I wasn't completely honest with you guys from the start." Diana looked up to see if she could see Marie, and when she found her she noticed that Marie was still intent on winning her game and wasn't paying attention to their conversation. "When I told you about my parents and how they were in Seattle and went to Alaska, how they'd gotten me the apartment for school and all of that, that wasn't true."

Tori looked sort of confused and wondered why Diana would lie about something like that. The rapid heartbeat started to come back and she put a hand over her chest. "Well, what's the truth of it then?" she asked.

"Well, you know that...thing we talked about? From the bathroom?"

Realization struck Tori and she began to understand more by the second. "Yeah I do."

"I lost my mom when I was a little kid, she was the one that died that day in the shipyard I told you about. I lived with my adoptive dad up until I left Seattle. When I told you how everything started getting bad, when I met my real father and all of that, they both ended up dying in the end. I don't have any parents left."

Diana's eyes stung with tears and she wiped their edges with her sleeve before they could fall, trying to suck them back in and be strong about it. Tori felt her heart break into a million pieces, something she hadn't felt since her encounter with Jade another lifetime ago. Diana's eyes shimmered with wetness in the dark and the reflection from the moon made them sparkle. Tori couldn't even begin to sort out her feelings. Sadness, love, regret, fear, relief. The one thing she could decipher, though, was the overwhelming urge to kiss Diana and make her feel better; and that's exactly what she did.

Tori leaned over and pressed her lips to Diana's. She reached over and laid her hand on Diana's face, sliding it softly down to her neck and she pecked her lips once, twice, and then froze. The most gentle, emotional kiss she'd ever given was with a girl she knew to be ninety nine percent straight and in a broken emotional state. Tori backed up and covered her face with her hands, her breathing erratic and her heart threatening to jump out of her chest.

"Oh god I am so sorry Diana. I just, I've been feeling all of these feelings lately and I don't know where they're coming from and I don't know how to deal with it all at once. It's like I'm just fine one minute and then all of a sudden I'm really anxious or really happy and nothing even has to happen. It's really making me feel like I'm going crazy. I was looking into your eyes and I saw how hurt you were and how heartbreakingly beautiful you are when you're sad and I guess I just boiled over. I really didn't mean to-"

"Tori it's OK" said Diana, wiping more tears from the corners of her eyes. "You don't have to be embarrassed. To be honest, I've been wondering what it would be like to kiss you ever since you first told me you were gay. I've never had any gay friends so I've never had the chance to experiment with a kiss before or anything like that."

Tori covered her face with her sleeping bag and laughed. One of those hearty belly laughs that makes you feel good inside afterward. Diana couldn't help but get sucked in as well, laughing along with her. By the time they could force themselves to only stifled giggles Matthew and woken up and was sitting up in his spot.

"What's so damn funny?"

"Oh, nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about" said Tori. "Go back to sleep."

Matthew shook his head and yawned wide. "OK, if you say so."

Tori felt amazing. She'd been fighting an internal battle for the whole week on whether or not she should try and see if Diana would be open to experimentation. She didn't like the thought of trying to 'turn' someone, forcing them to change their life for her benefit. The thing was, being gay wasn't easy. Even in 2013, where everyone is supposed to be so progressive and like-minded, there was still a stigma against same sex couples. Tori had dealt with her fair share of hate, even from her own sister, and she wouldn't want anyone that could go through life and not deal with that to change for her. There was always a little mind battle before she tried to talk to another woman, wondering if she was open to the idea or if she would get her choices thrown back in her face. She was used to most girls being straight and ending up disappointed, but there was always a chance that she would get lucky and find someone worth pursuing. And this time, she felt that maybe Diana wasn't out of her league.

"How did you first know that you were...you know?" asked Tori. "Magical."

"Well I guess it was when I started a fire in the woods behind my grandparents' house on accident. It was really hot out one day and I was thinking about how you could harness sunlight to start fires with like magnifying glasses and stuff. And I was jumping around playing by myself you know, when I decided that it would be a cool superpower to be able to start fires with my hands. So I gathered some sticks and stuff and made a little fire area in the grass at the edge of the woods and then stood there with one arm up, palm facing the sun and one arm down, palm facing the sticks. I thought really hard about the heat going through me and before I knew it five or six trees were fully engulfed in flames."

"Wow, that's intense" said Tori.

"Yeah I kinda freaked out. My dad and grandma knew what to do though and put the fire out, I was just really scared since they hadn't mentioned anything about magic to me before and I had no idea."

Tori was nervous to bring up the subject that had been on her mind for the past few days but she knew she needed to. If anyone would understand, it was Diana. "I've been having these...problems with my emotions. Like whenever someone is feeling something really strongly I think that I...can feel what they're feeling."

Diana smiled and nodded her head gently. "My grandfather was an empath. If it turns out that that's really what you are, I'm sorry to say you got a bit of a long road ahead of you."

"Why's that?"

"Well as I'm sure you've noticed already, emotions can weigh heavy. If you're in a scary situation with someone, you're going to feel your fear _and _their fear. A lot of doubling up can put you in a manic state, like someone with bipolar or borderline personality."

Tori scrunched her nose and snuggled into her sleeping bag. "That sounds great. I already have a hard enough time dealing with my own emotions, doubling up or facing dueling emotions is probably going to fry my brain."

"I think you're stronger than you think you are" said Diana, reaching over and laying a hand on Tori's hip. "From what I read about empaths in my family's book of shadows and the stories I heard from my grandparents, empaths are really strong, centered people. You wouldn't have been given the gift if you couldn't handle it."

"Well I'm glad you have faith in me" said Tori, closing her eyes to try and get some sleep. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too" said Diana.

Marie was the last one still awake in the restaurant. She'd been playing the games on the laptop to try to pass the time, something interactive to keep her mind from wandering. It seemed like everyone had a place in the group except for her. Everyone had something they were good at, some kind of trait that made them invaluable to their efforts, but Marie felt like she was expendable. She wasn't great at reading maps, she couldn't handle a weapon, and she wasn't particularly strong or good at fighting. A lot of the time she just sat back and watched the rest of the group do their thing like a well oiled machine, hoping that she wouldn't get in the way. Her feelings stemmed from her childhood of being told she was a liability by her mother. Anything and everything that could have went wrong was her fault, and she was forced to shoulder the blame from a young age. Over time she learned to see herself for less than she was worth; a product of abusive parenting.

The clock high on the wall towards the kitchen area read two AM. She decided that she ought to get some sleep as well, since anything was possible in their new existence and she might have to actually be alert to help out with something. As soon she she closed the laptop she heard the same rumbling they'd heard earlier. The two big trucks full of people were coming back towards the store with their lights on again. Marie kept low in the booth until the trucks passed by, waiting to move until the rumbling was totally out of earshot. The thought of bandits being so close to them made her nervous but there wasn't really anything they could do about it. She got up and crawled into the ball pit, noticing as she crossed over to her sleeping bag that Tori and Diana were spooning. Tori had her arm around Diana's waist and her face was buried in Diana's neck. They both looked peaceful and Marie did her best to step around them without waking them up.

The next morning Dom came inside and woke everyone up, eager to get them near a radio so they could hear what was happening. He tapped Tori and Diana at the same time, calling over to Matthew and Marie.

"Guys, get up. Now."

It was more of a command than a suggestion, and his tone worried Tori a bit. She opened her eyes and realized that Diana cuddled into her chest, still sleeping soundly. Her heart instantly melted at the sight of the precious girl in her arms, but the agitated state of Dom shook her out of it. She touched her thumb gently to Diana's face, making small gestures underneath her eye.

"Hey sleepy, we need to get up."

Diana opened her eyes and when she realized how she was position she scooted away quickly, her face turning fire engine red. "Oh, uh, hey. Sorry about that."

"It's OK" said Tori, unzipping her sleeping bag so she could get out of it. "You were actually keeping me pretty warm. It was comfortable."

"Yeah, it was." Diana tried to smile but her face just turned more red so she got to work rolling up her sleeping bag.

Marie and Matthew eventually came to as well, looking around confused as to why they were so rudely awakened. Tori nodded towards them as she fitted the straps around her sleeping bag and crawled out of the ball pit, Matthew following behind her. Marie and Diana were left in the ball pit just the two of them, the silence thick like strong coffee.

"I saw you guys snuggling last night" said Marie, stopped as she passed Diana. "I know it doesn't really matter if I'm fine with it or not, but just to let you know, I am. Thing is, we're in a really different situation these days than we used to be. We are all we have, and if you guys had a thing and it went sour, that would do some damage to the group dynamic."

"Understandable. But you should also think of that yourself, I've seen you nudging close to Matthew on occasion." Diana finished gathering her things and stood up as well.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what's up with that. I don't know where it's going, or if it's even going. I'm kind of just playing it by ear."

"Well you know anything can happen, this new world proves that. You might not want to wait too long in case you miss your chance."

Marie and Diana made their way out into the dining area to find Matthew, Dom and Tori sitting in a booth with a radio on the table. A man's voice could be heard clearly, mentioning something about the importance of Americans sticking together in this tough time instead of turning on each other and how he was able to help with that. Marie took the seat next to Tori while Diana went and grabbed some water, returning to the table with a chair so she could sit at the end.

"We all know that we can't continue this way. People are starving out on the streets because their houses were robbed and/or burnt to the ground. So many have lost everything they've worked for in their lives, and that only fuels the fire of hatred. Our government has driven this country into the ground. That's fine. It doesn't matter. We, as Americans, can pick this country back up ourselves, and give rise to the greatest nation in the world once again. We've carried this nation on our backs this long already, why can't we continue to do so without the restriction of a government that's out to take everything we own?

"My point is this my friends. If we continue to allow ourselves to fight, kill, steal, we're no better than the men and women that put us in this situation in the first place. We must come together as one, and put all of our efforts towards pulling ourselves back together as humans first, then as Americans. When you see what we could have if we just push past this, you will want nothing more than to turn to your brothers and sisters next to you and join hands. Give it one more shot. The Honovi Tribe welcomes anyone and everyone within reach of this broadcast to come to Cheyenne, Wyoming and join us in rebuilding this great nation. We have open churches with regular service and plenty of food and water to accommodate families as well as individuals."

"I've been listening to this guy for about an hour" said Dom, turning the volume knob down a bit so he could talk. "I wanted to get everyone's opinion on going that way to see what's up. I mean, they must be pretty organized to have a steady radio transmission right now, since all of the other ones have gone off air. I just think it's worth a look. If they're running church services and all of that there must be a pretty solid system in place."

"Or it could be a trap" said Matthew, biting the tip of his thumb with a look of deep thought. "There could just be a few bandits that took control of a radio station by force that have lookouts for people coming into the city."

"Yes that's possible but we can't assume every single thing is a trap without at least checking it out from a distance. If we live our lives in fear we might as well be dead."

Everyone at the table seemed pretty surprised by Dom's last statement; not only because it renewed the fear inside them that they were a lot more likely to die at any moment than they were just a few days previous, but also because he was exactly right. The fact was, if you were afraid of everything and just tried to scrape by in the shadows without looking for something new, you were wasting your life. It was as if the world had reverted thousands of years in the span of a few days. People went from wondering if they could afford one hundred dollar shoes to go with the perfect outfit to worrying about where they would get their next meal, and if they'd have to steal from someone who could possibly be their neighbor to get it.

Diana got up from the chair and headed towards the bathroom. Tori watched her go and waited until the door was closed behind her to speak.

"We might as well try since there's no point in going to Alaska" said Tori.

"Why? I thought Diana's family was there" said Matthew.

Tori sucked in a breath to calm herself before she started. "Her parents are gone, like yours. She wanted to go back to Seattle and look for her friends, but she knew I wouldn't want her to go anywhere by herself and that we wouldn't just drop her off without having somewhere safe to go. I think she just hit a stress wall with everything and going through this without her parents and all of that just kind of scared her into making it up."

Matthew and Dom both nodded their heads understandingly but Marie looked upset.

"That's not cool. She knows as well as we do that the further west you go the more dangerous it is, and she had us coming all the way out here to look for her family that doesn't exist? She could have gotten us killed."

"Relax, Marie" said Matthew, reaching across the table to take her hands. "Our situations are different parent-wise. Yours weren't that nice to you and then they took off, ours were happy and we had good relationships with them, so when they died it was a really big loss. I'm sure Diana feels the same way, it would make sense. I've done a lot of stupid things myself from grief and stress."

"But still, we need to be open about stuff like this since keeping things from each other could very likely lose one of us." Marie shrugged her shoulders and sat back in the booth.

Diana came out of the bathroom and stopped in her tracks when everyone looked up at her. She took a couple slow steps forward, keeping her eyes on Tori. Everyone else dropped their stares almost as quickly as she noticed them and went back to chewing their nails or tuning the radio. Tori bumped Marie's side to let her out of the booth, then headed towards the kitchen with a nod of her head at Diana.

"I told them about Seattle" said Tori.

"Oh god, they hate me now don't they?" Diana went from pouty to attention in zero seconds flat. "Wait, what exactly did you tell them?"

"Just that you wanted to find your friends and that you were still grieving from your loss, stress walls, etc."

"OK then. So are we going to Cheyenne?" asked Diana.

"Most likely. We should probably see what's there."

"Alright. We can fire this stuff up again and cook some fresh food to take with us on the road. I also noticed there's a couple cases of bottled water in the back." Diana walked around the counter and headed for the ovens to turn them on.

Once they had a good amount of stuff cooked up and bagged everyone grabbed their sleeping bags and whatever else they'd brought in and repacked the car. Dom wrote a couple lines on a sticky note pad before folding up the maps and stowing them away in his bag. Matthew crossed by as he got up from the booth, nodding towards his brother to make sure they were on course to head out.

"We're all set to go. Are the walkies in the green bag?" asked Dom.

"Yeah, do we need them?"

"Well I just imagine if we're going into a situation that we're not familiar with where there could potentially be thousands of people we're going to want to be able to keep in touch in case we get separated. We don't know anything about the Honovi Tribe or who's in charge so we need to be alert."

"I'll pull 'em out when I pack this stuff in" said Matthew.

With radios in hand they piled into the car, their course changed to Cheyenne. It was actually a welcomed change since they only had a quarter tank of gas left and they had been unsuccessful in finding some in Omaha, and Cheyenne was much closer than Alaska. Dom went to plot their course and realized all they had to do was take 80 south and they would be there in half a day. He hopped into the driver's seat and Tori into the passenger's, while the rest tripled up in the back seat as usual. Tori found some relaxed post-rock on her iPod and started an album for them to drive to. The weather was still getting warmer by the day and since they were further west it was actually pretty nice, driving with the windows down for the first time since they'd left.

It took a little over seven hours total for the drive. They made it to Lincoln on fumes and thankfully found a good amount of gas, filling up the tank and two large gas cans they found in the back, stowing them in the trunk the best they could. Their stuff would smell like gas for a while, but it was a much better alternative than walking. From about ten miles or so away from the Cheyenne line you could tell there was life here. Tori sat up in her seat and looked out the windshield for any definite signs of where to go. Nothing showed up until they actually entered the city, with the main road having a large painted sign instructing new people to go to City Hall, located nine miles from them according to the sign. They were unsure of which way to go but at first turn noticed there were more signs with orange construction ribbon tied to them pointing like a detour, giving them the correct route to their destination.

The closer they got to the building the more they realized the streets were filling up with people. The last four miles or so were packed. Shops were open with people buying produce and talking on corners. Little kids played football on a side street while their parents sat in lawn chairs drinking and smoking cigarettes. It looked like life hadn't changed that much in this area, or at least the people inhabiting made it seem that way. The group looked out their windows and watched as everything seemed normal all the way up to City Hall, until they pulled into the parking lot.


	7. Wanagi

The inner circle of the detour signs looked as if a horrible natural disaster had swept through about a month prior, and the residents had been spending all that time trying to clean up and rebuild. Shop windows were boarded up and glass remained in the streets in some areas. A lot of buildings were charred from fires set during the riots and still some vehicles were left melted to the pavement. Dom drove slowly through the area so they could all get a good look at their surroundings. One of the most basic strategies any professional sketchy person is taught is how to scan the area around you and memorize it so you know where to go in escape.

Normally a City Hall parking lot is filled with police cars and other types of official vehicles. Code Enforcement, Animal Control, sometimes construction workers fixing up the building. When the group pulled into the parking lot of this City Hall, though, there was nothing. Not even any leftover cars from the people that abandoned them in the beginning days of the conflict. The building stood massive and almost sinister; dark bricks and blacked out windows with shiny glass doors that reflected the sun so you couldn't see inside. Dom parked as close to the building as he could before they got out, planning ahead once again in case they needed to make a quick getaway.

A large banner hung above the doorway with the word 'Wanagi' painted on it. There were dozens of childrens' handprints decorating the edges as well as suns with faces, flowers and other happy images. It reminded Tori of the banner she had to make in sixth grade for a choir performance; usually when someone wanted something this big and this cheery out in the open, it was because they were trying to put on a really big and really cheery front. Tori looked around at the others faces, relieved to notice they reflected the same distrust as hers.

Dom led the way into the building with Tori behind him, then Marie, Diana and Matthew bringing up the rear. The building looked like it hadn't been touched unlike the others around it. As soon as they stepped into the bottom floor waiting area they noticed three armed guards. One guard looked up when he sensed their presence and then said something to the guard at the desk in a language none of them understood, and a few minutes later that guard nodded to the third guarding the staircase. All three of them looked like traditional Native Americans, complete with moccasins and beaded jewelry. Only difference was they had some pretty non-traditional handguns.

They were lead up the stairs to the second floor, a large open space with offices on each side. The first office on the left looked like the biggest. It had a huge window right by the staircase that looked out at the other offices next to it and the downstairs area. Tori figured this must be where the boss liked to hang out. The guard leading them pointed to a spot on the ground and made a grunting noise which they took to mean stop, so they did. He knocked on the door of the big office and waited for the voice on the other side before opening the door. A very stern looking man sat behind a luxurious mahogany desk with papers and a couple radios in front of him. When he looked up and saw the group he nodded in the direction of the guard and continued writing while the guard filed the group inside.

The man behind the desk was as dark as the guards but he passed on the traditional dress. He wore a fitted midnight blue suit, so dark that it was almost black. The color really suited his skin tone and hair, which was jet black and razor straight, hanging down to his shoulders. There were a few spots on the wall that were discolored, giving the effect of pictures missing from their usual spots. As Tori looked around she gathered that the man either didn't have family of his own or at least didn't have any pictures. There were none on the walls and none on the desk either, only a few folders and a cup full of pens. The man continued writing with his eyes down on the paper in front of him until he finished with a great flourish and flick of his wrist, the unmistakable gesture of a signature. He put the pen in the cup with the others and picked the stack of papers up, knocking them against the desk to straight them all out before putting them back in the folder to his left.

"So, I see we have some new arrivals. Heard the broadcast did you?"

"Yes, we did" said Dom. "We were heading west towards Alaska from Chicago when heard your broadcast in Omaha."

"Excellent, glad to know the repeaters are still in good shape." The man grabbed the few folders on his desk and fed them into a filing cabinet just to the left of the desk, shutting and locking it with a key that hung around his neck. "So tell me, why'd you come?"

"Well we figured if you were set up enough to have a broadcast reach that far you probably had good accommodations. Stockpiles, general good behavior, things like that."

"Still rough out on the road?"

"No shortage of dead bodies and people that want to rob you, that's for sure." Diana and Marie looked at each other briefly before turning their eyes back down on the floor.

"Well you are correct. We have a large supply of food and fresh water. We have electricity thanks to some of the plant workers that came back when they heard the broadcast and got some of the power going again. We have accommodations nearby including a large apartment building that has power, heat and running water. The kids are particularly fond of the YMCA a couple blocks from here. It has an indoor pool, basketball court, teen center with billiards and ping pong. There's no shortage of your old life here."

Dom and Matthew exchanged a stern look and Matthew answered back quickly. "So, what's the catch then?"

"My dear boy," said the man, clasping his hands in front of himself, "where are my manners? My name is Quidel, but most just call me Del."

"My name is Matthew, this is my brother Dom, and this is Tori, Diana and Marie." Everyone smiled and waved when their name was called.

"Well Matthew, the catch is this; we ask that everyone that stays within our boundaries works with a certain work camp each day. We have the women fixing clothing, running produce stands and taking care of the young ones during the day while we have the men clearing buildings and houses of rubble, rebuilding and painting. There are the gardens also, which anyone can tend to if they prove to have a green thumb."

"That's not sexist at all" Marie blurted out, receiving a bit of a chuckle from Del.

"So basically it's manual labor all day for room and board?" asked Matthew.

Del laughed. "If you look at it that way, I suppose. Before civilization really took off, before technology and skyscrapers and all of that, people worked. Don't get me wrong, people still worked in today's times, but back then they _really _worked. Everyone knew the pain and exhaustion of a hard day's work in the fields or down at the creek washing clothes, churning butter or tending to the animals. People have become soft over time. They expect too much for what little they do. Technology has advanced in such a way that we try as hard as we can for eight hours a day to build things that can make us even lazier than we already are during the sixteen hours a day we're not at work.

"The thing is, if we're going to get back on track, we're going to have to bring back the work ethic of the old days. Teach the young ones we have now the real value of a dollar, and what can happen to their lives if we get out of control again. We've only been operating for two days since it took a while to get everything set up, but we're already turning into a well oiled machine. We exchange whatever cash people have for poker chips, and use the chips as currency. Since paper money is going to be irrelevant within the month, we've decided to use chips in this new town we've built as a way to extend the economy." Del licked his lips at the feeling of the word 'money' coming across them, a tick that hadn't gone unnoticed by Marie.

Dom listened intently, nodding along at points of interest in Del's speech. Tori stood close by him as did Diana on the other side, with Matthew standing next to Marie just behind them. Del rattled off his speech from behind his desk, shuffling through papers as he talked. Tori got a feeling of excitement from him, but something made her feel like it was disingenuous. Del's eyes were cold and hard, a very deep brown that almost mimicked the jet blackness of his hair.

"We have our own type of police force" said Del, continuing his speech. "Some of my men are armed and patrol our little town on foot, making sure no one is trying to steal from the produce stands or any of the shops. Everyone is still in a state of panic right now, so we can't be too sure who is capable of what. If you are caught breaking any laws that were in play during the existence of the United States, you'll be subject to an open hearing, attended by everyone in the town. Evidence will be put forth, you'll be given a chance to defend yourself, and then judgment will be made by myself, based on the general consensus of the people."

"That works for now, but what do you plan to do in a few months?" asked Dom, shifting his weight to his other foot. "I feel like it would be more prudent to have a vote of the people that live here and see who they would like to be in charge."

Del's eyes glossed over and he looked absolutely malicious for the smallest space of a second,

"The biggest thing we focus on though are the fields and gardens. There's two trucks that leave from city center in the morning to go out to the fields on the outskirts of the city. We harvest wheat, corn and hemp, and the field workers are entitled to a marginally larger portion during meals for their harrowing labor. The gardeners tend to the soil and pick whatever is growing when need be. We've had two successful days out there so far, and the folks that volunteered seem to really revel in the labor. So I put the question to you; would you rather take one of the two jobs inside the city, or go out to the fields?"

"I'm not sure if we'll be staying in the city just yet, I'll have to talk everything over with my family and see what the general consensus is."

"Is there more of you then?" asked Del.

"No," said Dom, turning a bit with an arm extended back towards the group, "this is my family."

"Well we do have people that show up here every day looking for shelter and a sense of normalcy. If you take too long to make your decision you might end up missing out on a housing spot."

"We'll be back later today with an answer" said Dom.

The group turned and left the office with a kind wave to Del. The guard that had brought them up was waiting outside the door to take them back down so he led the way to the front door. Dom nodded in acknowledgment and the guard did the same, taking his original spot back by the staircase. When they piled back into the car the air of indecision was palpable. Tori had a weird feeling in her gut, like Del wasn't a man to be trusted. Dom was looking out the windshield towards the direction of the fields, and she wondered if he was considering working for them.

Dom looked around them for a minute before taking a deep breath, holding it, and puffing it out. "I don't know guys. I guess it's a way to get in on the ground floor of a rebuild, which sounds funny to say since the world we lived in was just fine a few days ago." He glanced out the window and then at each person in the group, one by one. "We're gonna have to get back in somewhere, sometime, and we might as well take the opportunity since it's here."

"I don't feel right about it Dom" said Marie, toying with one of her bracelets. "This all seems like it came together way too fast to be real. I mean, we've seen a bridge full of dead bodies and buildings collapse from explosions and fires, and here's just this quaint little town with a market and 'housing.'"

"I feel the same way" said Tori. "If we stay here we're going to have to look out for each other, keep a really close eye."

"I think anywhere we stay is going to feel like that, at least for a while. Let's take the afternoon to drive around and get a feel for the place, see what some of the locals are like. Maybe take a look at the housing if we can. When the end of the day comes and we've seen everything we can put our thoughts together and decide what we're going to do." Everyone nodded in agreement so Dom turned and headed back downstairs.

Matthew started the car, ready to survey the area. The three girls sat in back with their eyes peeled and Dom sat shotgun with his phone out. The cell towers didn't work in most areas since local governments shut them down in an effort to deter the riots, but he was still able to use the notes app to put down thoughts as they went along. The sun hung high in the sky and Tori noticed it was just after noon. The streets surrounding the City Hall building were bustling with people who had stopped working for their one hour lunch break. At least she assumed it was an hour since that's what most construction people got. She knew this from her Uncle being a contractor. Some of the storefronts had signs in them advertising fresh meat and dairy while the corners were stocked with people working farm stands. Matthew pulled over and parked on the side of the road so they could get out on this main strip and talk to some of the people.

Tori took interest in a particular shop that looked like it was sort of tucked away in the corner. An alleyway ran between it and the building next to it and the door was situated kiddy corner to the alley. She noticed a small sign that hung above the door, marking the place as 'Alice's.' There was no way to tell what the store held since the windows were blocked and nothing sat outside. Tori tapped Diana on the hip and nodded in the direction of the store, taking her hand to pull her across the street. Her face burned at the hand contact with Diana, but mostly because it felt good and she wasn't used to being close with someone like that. Another small sign that nestled into one of the smaller windows of the door said 'We're Open' so Tori turned the knob with her free hand and entered.

The inside of the store was pretty dark. A dusty chandelier hung from the ceiling and gave off a little light but the dust inhibited a lot of it. Native American products lined the shelves and cases throughout, with clothing and things like dreamcatchers hanging from the walls. Two glass cases on each side of the store held jewelry, glass pieces and loose precious stones. Baskets lined up next to each other had everything from earrings and necklaces to headbands and face paint. The clothing on the walls was authentic leather, easily noticed from the smell of the store. Pants and shirts, scarves made of silk and even full ceremonial headdresses. Tori admired a particularly large one with red and blue feathers sticking up from the back when a stout woman appeared from the stock room.

"Hello there, can I help you find anything?"

"Um, no, not really" said Tori. "I just noticed this place was a little tucked away compared to all the other stores so I figured I'd come over and check it out."

Diana was huddled over one of the glass cases, searching through the different pieces of jewelry. She came across a set of earrings that caught her eye and perked up to find the the store owner.

"Can I see these earrings?" asked Diana.

"Sure" said the woman, making her way behind the glass case Diana was in front of. "Point them out."

"These ones."

The woman pulled the earrings out of the case and set them into Diana's hand. They were small brown wolves, hand-carved out of wood. The amount of detail was impressive. Diana held them up by the hook and looked at them closely in the case light, noticing they even had paws carved into them.

"How much are they?" she asked.

"Fifteen dollars."

"Then I will take them" said Diana, lying them on the case so she could fish some bills out of her back pocket. She counted out a ten and a five and handed them to the woman, grabbing the earrings and turning around to face Tori. The woman looked at the bills and back to the girls, realizing that they were new in town. Diana held the earrings up to Tori's ears to see what they would look like and smiled. "I thought the color would compliment your eyes."

Tori felt tears stinging but she blinked them away before they could fall. "Well that was really nice of you. Thanks for thinking of me." She took the earrings and put them in, checking the small mirror that sat on top of the case. "I love them."

"Well you did help me out with the whole story about my parents and stuff. Not to say that I bought those for you because I owed you, I didn't, but I think that kind of inspired me to look for something that you'd like."

Tori brought Diana into a hug and squeezed her tight, one hand on her waist and the other tangled in her hair. She snugged into her neck, breathing her perfume in deep. It'd been a few days since any of them had showered but with Diana you couldn't even tell. She was still as fresh and smelled just as good as the day they left. Fearing that the hug was going too long, she stepped back once and was halted by Diana's hand on her back. She looked up into the caramel pools that so mimicked hers when Diana moved forward to close the gap between them, hesitating about half way. Tori could feel the hot breath on her lips, feel the shaking of her own legs. Diana finally closed the gap and pressed her lips onto Tori's, pressing firmly for a full second before pulling back.

"Ever since last night I've been wondering what it would be like to be the one that initiated a kiss like that. It was a lot more nerve-racking than I thought."

"Yeah, it takes little bit of getting used to" said Tori.

Diana thanked the woman and they left the store to find the rest of the group, returning to the street hand in hand. Tori watched Diana out of the corner of her eye as they walked. She had a smile on her face that didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Tori really loved it when Diana smiled. There was a hint of wonder in it, in a way that she'd been void of any real happiness or reason to smile for such a long time and having it come back to her was paramount. The rest of the group could be seen on the next corner down from them checking out fresh fruit at a farm stand. Tori stopped Diana before she could cross the street, pulling her towards herself out of sight of the others.

"I really like this" said Tori, holding their entwined fingers up. "I haven't had someone I've been close to in a while either, and I know that you're-"

"I know what you're going to say" said Diana, putting a hand flat on Tori's stomach. "_I'm _not gay and you don't want to just be an experiment for me, stuff like that. I understand, and I don't want that either. But ever since I first met you in the record store I've been thinking about you all the time. I never considered myself to be definitely straight since I had never tried exploring my sexuality. With you, I feel like we could be a great couple. We've become great friends in just a few days and I feel really comfortable around you."

Tori blushed and smiled. "I feel really comfortable around you, too."

"When I look at you I don't see a woman, I see a person, and one that I could get used to being with pretty easily."

"It's easy to say, but when it comes down to it you need to be sure that you're comfortable with _everything_. That's why teenage experimentation is so important. A lot of girls think they'd be into it, see someone they have a girl crush on and try it out to find they hate it." Tori's stomach was doing flips and she tried her best to concentrate on the conversation so she didn't get sick. She thought it was similar to the feeling you get when you take a hard test that you really studied for and hoped to get a good grade on but ended up getting a B minus.

"I understand. If you don't want to see this along we can just call it right here, I won't be upset." Diana had a really good poker face, but Tori knew better. She was juggling fear, excitement, reluctance and something that felt like hunger. Trouble was, she knew she wasn't hungry.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that...I'm scared. I like you, and I don't want to get hurt again."

"It's OK. It's probably not the best time for something like this anyway. We're all so stressed and I know you're worried about your family and you don't need to be worrying about if I'm gonna flake out on you and kill all of your happiness. I wouldn't want-"

Tori reached forward and took Diana's face in both of her hands, kissing her again in the middle of the sidewalk. This time she nibbled on Diana's bottom lip, causing her to gasp and open her mouth so Tori could use her tongue. They locked lips for a full minute before breaking apart, standing in each others' grasp, panting hard.

"I don't want to lose this potential" said Tori, taking Diana's hand back in her own. "Like you said, I've had you on my mind since the minute you walked into the store and I want to see where this could go."

Diana smiled and squeezed Tori's hand, then the two of them moved to find the group again. They walked hand in hand down a crowded sidewalk towards their friends, people giving them mixed looks of happiness and uneasiness. Tori was used to it but she knew Diana wasn't. She pulled Diana close to her and they walked together in step, smiling at each other with exuberance to squash anyone's uncertainties.

The shops on this street were mostly for household items and clothing. It was amazing how fast people had 'repurposed' the items left behind in the big box stores. Anything that could potentially be sold was looted from the bigger stores within the first two days but a lot of it was still being set up. It had only been a little over a week since the conflict started but the further west you went, the more it actually started to look like the wild west again. The new town they found themselves in, called 'Wanagi,' seemed to be the first try at settling things down in the area. There hadn't been much time to get everything situated so outside of the first few miles there was still a lot of debris and stray cars. Most of them had already had the gas siphoned from them for the work trucks but no one had the means to actually move the cars out of the way. The ones that were in front of the shop streets they were on now volunteers actually pushed away to the far side of the City Hall parking lot.

Only one apartment building seemed to be in use for housing since most of the other buildings around were commercial. Tori looked up at the building and wondered what floor they would be on if they stayed. At that moment Dom waved from across the street, flagging them down to join the others at a little show that was being performed on the corner. They crossed the intersection and stood next to the rest of the group, trying to see over the people in front of them to find out what was going on.

A monkey with a vest and top hat was walking around to the people in the front row. They held out quarters, and the monkey would walk up to them, take the quarter and put it in his shirt pocket, then tip his hat. Marie was giggling like a little kid and some other people in front of them were smiling like it was Christmas morning. They watched for a few minutes and then broke apart from the pack, walking in a group a little ways down the street to the left.

A man in tattered jeans and no shirt was in the middle of the street at the end of the block, surrounded by guards from the Honovi tribe and a group of residents. Tori and the rest walked to the crowd to see what was going on while the man in the street ranted and raved about something they couldn't understand at first, but at closer listen they realized he was drunk.

"They aren't looking out for you! They're looking out for themselves!" The man yelled and spun in circles, trying to face each of the guards that honed in on him with guns drawn. "You see them right now, guns pointed at me because I spread truth! You can't trust these people, and if you follow them you allow them to use you for all that you're worth!"

One of the guards shot his sidearm into the air and the crowd screamed in reaction, drawing the man's attention for the split second needed to take him down. Two guards jumped in and tackled him to the ground, wrenching his arms behind his back so they could zip tie his hands together. The man kicked and screamed as they tried to handle him and ended up having to hog tie him so they wouldn't get kicked, carrying his body to the truck like a stuck pig. The guard who discharged his firearm waved everyone away and the crowd dispersed quickly, not wanting to get any attention of their own.

"So, what are you guys thinking?" asked Dom.

"I'm thinking we don't really have anywhere else to go except for L.A to Tori's family" said Matthew.

Tori perked up at the mention of her family. "Yeah but it's really dangerous out that way. I'd rather have us stay here and see if Del maybe has a way to get a message out that far, see if we can bring them to come to us."

"Well that's three" said Dom, looking to Marie and Diana. "Care to make it unanimous?"

"Sure" they both said at the same time, looking up at the apartment building same as Tori had been. "Every town has its crazies, right?" asked Diana.

"OK then. We'll drive back up to City Hall and let Del know we're staying and see if we can get our housing arrangements before the end of the day. If we do we'll unpack the car and get everyone situated and try to get a good night's sleep. Hell, we might even get beds."

They walked back to the car and piled in once more, heading to give Del the good news. Everyone around would turn and watch them drive by when they heard the car coming, something that seemed a little odd to Dom. When he would turn a corner he could literally follow some peoples' eyes all the way around, almost like they were watching him. He wasn't sure what the deal was, though, since the population of the little haven seemed to be about half white and half Native American, and both sets were watching them. Some more intently than others, but they were all indeed watching.

Dom pulled into the parking lot and left the car in the same spot by the door he had the first time. They filed in through the front door but instead of being led up the stairs the same guard held out a hand stopping them.

"Del isn't in the building at the moment. He asked me to watch our for you folks and see about your answer. Have you come to a decision?"

"Yes" said Dom, shaking his head. "We've decided to stay. Will you be able to give us housing assignments? We haven't had showers in days and would like to get some rest before the work camps tomorrow."

"Sure thing." The guard pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. "You and the other boy will be in four fourteen, and the three ladies will be in four sixteen, across the hall. They are both two bedroom shelters so you ladies will have to draw straws to see who has to share."

Dom stifled a laugh and put up his arm to block a swing from Diana. He grabbed her hands and held them together so she couldn't hit him and made a face at her, shaking his hips like one dance in a chicken costume. They laughed together and turned on their heels to head back out to the car, Tori smiling all the way behind them.

When they got inside the building the first thought was that it had electricity so they'd be able to use the elevator to transport their things. Unfortunately, the tribe had shut the elevators down to save the electricity they did have, so they were going to have to lug everything from the trunk up four flights of stairs. Granted there wasn't a ton of stuff, but everyone was feeling a little exhausted with the lack of a proper diet and shoddy sleep. Matthew and Dom hauled the cooler up to their room and the girls grabbed all of the sleeping bags, making only two trips necessary to get everything. When the rest of the bags were up on the fourth floor Dom stopped between the rooms with the green one on his arm.

"Tori, take this" said Dom, reaching into the green bag and pulling out a walkie. "We'll be able to communicate with these. Keep them down low and out of sight, I don't want anyone to know we have them, just in case."

"OK" said Tori, taking the radio and tucking it under her arm. "Should we set up some specific times of contact in case things go bad?"

"Good idea. We'll go through the next day or two and get the schedule and then figure out the best times to set."

"We should also set a meeting spot. You know, a, uh, what's that word?" Marie asked.

"Rendezvous" said Diana.

"Yeah, a rendezvous point. In case we get separated or whatever."

Dom smiled at the girls before opening the door to the boy's apartment. "You guys are pretty good at this, you know."

The girls laughed and headed into their own apartment, eager to see what it looked like on the inside. They were pretty decent sized and all looked different, since these apartments belonged to people recently that had abandoned them. Most of the stuff was still in place, including the kitchen appliances and furniture, but a lot of things like food, jewelry and TVs were gone. A big stand sat kiddy corner in the top left part of the room which looked like it housed a nice sized flatscreen at one point. The walls were a boring white which was normal for apartments. The carpet seemed new, which was a nice touch. The apartment held no pictures or any other kinds of identifying information on the family that once lived here. A ceiling fan hung over the dining room table, something that made Tori miss home when she saw it. There were two bedrooms and one full bathroom; the question was, at least for Marie, who got to have their own bedroom.

"How do you wanna do the rooms?" she asked.

Diana walked up behind Tori and wrapped her arms around her waist, snuggling into her neck with a small laugh. "I think I'll bunk with Tori."

Marie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Naturally. That works for me." She turned and picked up her bags from the floor, dragging them into the smaller room next to the bathroom.


	8. Work Detail

The next morning marked the first day of their work camp experience. Tori tore her covers off and slid to the edge of the bed, simultaneously looking forward to seeing how the new town worked and trying to come to terms with how fast the world had all but ended.

She shook Diana awake gently, smiling when Diana opened her sleepy eyes. After making sure she was awake Tori hit the bathroom and got everything she needed done out of the way and waited in the living room for Diana to do the same. Since they didn't tell Del directly what they wanted to do their jobs were chosen for them for the first day. Notes wedged between each door marked where each person was supposed to go, with Matthew and Dom on field duty and the girls on produce stands and general cleanup.

They walked down to the street and found Marie smoking a cigarette, waiting for them to come out. Tori would be working the stand that they had stopped at the day before while Diana and Marie would be dispatched to different parts of the city to aide in the cleanup effort. Sweeping glass out of the streets and off the sidewalks, cleaning up trash and helping to remove derelict cars if possible. The produce stand jobs consisted of unloading the delivery trucks and restocking the stands and keeping track of the chips.

"Morning."

"Hey Marie" said Tori, leaning against the wall upwind from the smoke. "Do you know where you guys are supposed to go?"

"Yeah. I'm heading to Saltson Ave and Diana is heading to Main."

"OK, better head out before we're late. I'll see you later?"

"Sure thing" said Marie, throwing her cigarette down and stomping on the butt. She reached forward and gave Tori a hug then smiled at Diana before walking away.

Tori grabbed Diana's hand and pulled her close, leaning her forehead on Diana's hoodie-clad shoulder. She yawned and stood there with her eyes closed for a second, her arms wrapped around Diana's waist. After feeling like she would fall asleep any second she opened her eyes back up and stepped off the wall, angled towards the produce stand two blocks north.

"Have a good day, OK?" said Tori.

"I'll try. You too."

Tori leaned in and gave Diana a soft peck on the lips. "I'll see you when I get home."

The weather was pretty warm for so early in the morning, and Tori wondered what temps the town got up to during the day. She was wearing a turquoise cardigan and dark blue skinny jeans with her trusty converses. Everyone seemed to be in a better mood after getting to take a hot shower the night before. Tori was so excited she ran in before anyone else even had a chance to work out an order, and Diana was almost brave enough to go in there after her.

Almost.

The shops on the strip across from the apartment building were starting to open as well. A woman in a bright colored t-shirt flipped the sign from close to open in her laundry shop. She had signs on the windows that advertised her services, which included wash-dry-fold for a certain amount per pound and all kinds of small tasks, like hemming and sewing buttons. Tori waved as she passed by and the woman waved back. It was strange how people just seemed to be going about life as if nothing ever happened. Going to work, shopping at stores, hanging out in their apartments. Of course, they weren't actually _their _apartments. But hey, someone's loss, their gain.

The next street over was still being cleaned out and Tori could see a small group of two or three people cleaning out the bottom floor of a two story building. It looked like a storefront on the bottom and maybe some offices up top. A pile of trash bags and some burnt furniture sat out front by the doors, presumably waiting to be picked up by a truck and driven to another part of the city, or wherever the trash was kept. There was still quite a bit they didn't know about the city but she figured that knowledge would come in time. Hopefully it wasn't knowledge that would want to make them leave. The produce stand was in sight but no one was in sight yet. Tori crossed the road towards the stand and when she reached the corner a little boy scooted out from under the table, his arms filled with apples and bananas. He didn't turn around to look at Tori but she caught a glimpse of his face as he stood up and turned to run. She wasn't sure what to do and telling on the boy didn't seem right, so she let it go and headed up to the stand.

An older man with gray hair came out a couple minutes later with a lock box and a pad of paper and pen. He looked down his nose, through his glasses that were perched at the end, and smiled when he laid eyes on Tori.

"Well hello there. I see we have someone new today."

"Yes sir, my name is Tori."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tori. I'm Ralph. I used to own a fruit market a couple of miles from here but it was destroyed in the early riots. Del and the Honovi Tribe came to me a few days ago when I was trying to salvage what was left of my store and told me that I could start new with them, get my own produce stand and everything."

"Looks like you're back to normal. Almost, anyway" said Tori. "Are you going to be here with me or am I watching the place alone?"

"Can't get rid of me that easy" said Ralph. He laughed as he slowly made his way to a solid wood rocking chair and sat down. "I'll be here with you. We don't like to have people working the food jobs by themselves, in case we get scavengers that come through town."

"Does that happen a lot?" asked Tori.

"It's only happened once in the five days we've been working on setting everything up. About three or so weeks ago when the first explosions happened in the downtown area they came around and took what they could from the stores. Expensive things like jewelry and televisions. After that they disappeared and didn't show up again until a few days ago."

"Three weeks ago? I thought this whole thing only started about a week ago."

Ralph laughed again, a hoarse smoker's laugh. "That's the media for you. They tried to cover it all up in the beginning, thinking the military would be able to get a hold on things. But I'll tell you, I've never seen anything go downhill as fast as this country did. Never."

Tori was flabbergasted. Apparently, this had been happening for weeks and they didn't even know it. It explained how Del and the Honovi had gotten everything set up here at least. The thought that the government had tried to cover everything up wasn't that much of a shocker, but it was something entirely different to think how the people on this side of the country had been doing what they'd been doing for literally weeks longer, and they already felt tired. It made her head hurt thinking that if ideas like this town didn't work out that they all could continue living how they were living for a long time into the future.

"My friends and I came here from Chicago. We tried going north to Canada but they weren't allowing people entrance. We figured since the damage had been done this way if we went up around we'd get behind the wave and be a little safer." Tori walked around to the other side of the stand and made sure all of the fruit was nestled in the baskets securely and wouldn't fall.

"Makes sense" said Ralph. He packed an old wooden Sherlock Holmes style pipe with tobacco and lit it with a match. "How'd you find this place?"

"We were in Omaha, heard Del's speech on the radio. We were thinking of going to Alaska to be far removed from all of this but we were also running low on gas, and had trouble finding some around the area we were in."

"Gas is gettin' scarce around here too" said Ralph, puffing his pipe until it cherried. "People are gonna learn real soon what the old days were like, and I don't think they're gonna enjoy it too much."

The morning went pretty quickly as Tori got to know Ralph better and learned more about how the conflict had started. Apparently when the market bottomed out, most of the CEOs of the bigger companies had already liquidated their assets and were preparing to leave the country. Ralph told her about a story that was told on a local public access radio station by a journalist for the L.A. Times stating that it looked as if a lot of the beginning things were orchestrated. None of the bigger media outlets wanted to even touch that story for fear of backlash so it wasn't very widely reported. It made sense though, and corresponded with the video clips she had seen days ago about the bank owners fleeing with their families. Suddenly Tori was feeling a little bitter.

"I've seen that look before kid, let it go."

"It's not fair though" said Tori, turning her chair to face Ralph. "They can't just take all of their stuff and bail and leave us to deal with the aftermath. The real world doesn't work that way."

"You'd be surprised how many things you see in movies are actually possible" said Ralph. "At one point robots were impossible, then we had them. At another point cloning was impossible, and then we had that, too. What's so impossible about rich people buying their way to safety?"

A woman and her two children came up to the produce stand and started looking around at what was available. The kids each grabbed an apple and then the one on the left went for an orange while the one on the right grabbed a kiwi. The mother put them all in a bag she'd ripped off the metal bag stand, which was clearly liberated from a supermarket, and handed it to Tori. She turned and showed Ralph what was in the bag and he held up his last three fingers, signaling the total.

"Is that all?" asked Tori.

"Yes, thanks."

"That'll be three dollars."

The woman gave Tori three white plastic poker chips and continued down the street with her sons in tow. Tori put the chips in the lock box that Ralph had brought out and sat back down in her chair to write what the woman had bought on the notepad. Ralph stared off towards the other end of the street, and Tori suddenly wondered what things this man had seen in his life. She'd always been curious about people. Where they had been, what they had done and seen, who they had met in their travels. But life was usually too busy to really sit down with a stranger and ask them about theirs before the conflict. Now, it seemed like they had all the time in the world to ask the questions they could never ask. Go places they had always wanted to visit but never had time to. The joke was that it didn't matter anymore.

A rumbling started from behind them and grew louder by the second. Tori turned to Ralph who looked up at the sky, standing up from his chair to look towards the roof. Seconds later two F-18 Jets screamed by low enough to the ground that the numbers on their bellies could be read. The boom echoed all throughout the street between the buildings, leaving Tori wondering where they had come from, but more importantly where they were going. She hadn't seen any planes at all in the last week, not even military ones. Ralph watched the tails of the jets disappear over the buildings in the distance as he puffed his pipe.

The early afternoon lunch break hit and the streets filled up with the people from the cleaning and construction crews. Tori learned that the people that worked the fields brought food with them since they were a ways outside of the town. A bunch of people poured into the open market area, checking out the produce stands and the fresh meat market around the corner from Tori's stand. The men in the construction crews pushed their way up front, not out of rudeness, but out of routine. They were on a tighter schedule than the other crews since the Honovi wanted to get some houses ready for the more wealthy people in the town as quickly as possible. Everyone knew they were worked to the bone so they moved out of the way when lunch time came.

Tori shoveled out fruit into the hungry hands of construction workers and cleanup crews for a solid twenty minutes. She fumbled the chips a few times as the people were in a hurry to pay and get gone so they could go back to work. It wasn't until almost the end of the break when she saw Marie and Diana tucked off to the side, waiting for the crowd to clear so they could talk.

"Hey" said Diana, giving Tori a hug. "How's it going?"

"Good" said Tori. "I've been talking with my new friend Ralph here," Tori turned a little and gestured to Ralph who smiled back in kind, "and selling some produce. How about you guys? Is the cleanup hard?"

"It's work, I know that" said Marie, picking up an apple and shining it on her shirt. "We'll be sore tonight." She took a bite of the apple and caught eyes with Ralph, who was waiting for her to pay up. "We just got here yesterday, we don't have any money yet. But I'll pay you back, I promise."

"Any friend of Tori's is a friend of mine" said Ralph, knocking the ash out of his pipe on the side of his rocking chair. "I trust you."

Marie smiled and continued eating her apple, nodding to Diana for her to get something as well. Diana looked through the stand and picked out a nice ripe orange, pulling her pocket knife out to peel it. She looked up at Ralph for approval and he nodded again.

"Have you guys heard anything about what happened out here?" asked Tori.

"Not much." Diana walked around to the other side of the stand and tossed her rind in the trash. "We heard that this area lucked out compared to some of the bigger cities that are close. Denver is completely obliterated and more than half of the city is on fire."

"Well Ralph here told me that this whole situation started three whole weeks ago."

"What?" said both Marie and Diana in unison.

"True story" said Ralph. "We've been out here setting this place up for over a week now. You wouldn't think what we have so far would pop up in a couple days, would you?"

"But then that means-"

"They were covering it up" said Tori. "They tried to keep it quiet thinking the military would fix everything before it got too far out of hand. Problem was they couldn't get a handle on it, and when it spread the media had no choice but to start airing some stories."

"We gotta get back to work" said Diana. "We can continue this conversation with the boys when we all get back later on."

"OK. Don't work too hard" said Tori.

"You know me, I have my ways." Diana smiled and gave Tori a big hug, laughing softly into her ear. Tori didn't want to let go of the source of warmth and angelic laughter in her arms.

Diana and Marie took off to the end of the street and split ways when they reached the corner. Tori returned behind the stand and retreated inside the storefront to where Ralph was standing, looking over the refrigerators that held the extra stock. She made note of what was low outside and carried out supplementary items, stacking them with their like items to fill out the stand once again. The woman across the street diagonally that ran the vegetable produce stand was doing the same thing, and Tori realized the woman must have gotten slammed just as bad during the lunch rush but she was too busy to notice.

The work day ended and Ralph gave Tori a red chip that had a $5 on the front of it. Five dollars for an entire eight hour day of work. She nearly made that in half an hour at the record store in Chicago. That said, they were all going to have to get used to some big changes to resettle into society. Tori took her chip and flipped it over in her fingers, looking at it closely to see what the designs were around the edges.

"Some vendors can make change but if you want you can take it to City Hall and they can exchange it for whites" said Ralph.

"OK, thanks Ralph. You were a big help today."

"You too, Tori. Hopefully you can come back and maybe get a permanent spot here, if you want."

"I'd like that."

Tori was the first one to get home and noticed that a radio had been placed on the coffee table in the living room. A note that rested on top of it read "Leave this turned on with the volume up at all times. Do not tune." A red light peeked out from the back indicating that it was already on, and at closer listen a faint hum could be heard. Tori went into the bedroom she shared with Diana and grabbed a fresh shirt to change into, then headed into the kitchen to stock the fridge with their portion of the food they had split up. She loaded bottles of water into the bottom shelf and set the few fruits they had left onto the top shelf. As she was stocking the door opened and Marie came in, kicking her shoes off and immediately flopping onto the couch.

"That job is going to kill me" she said.

"I think you'll be fine, princess" said Tori.

"Easy for you to say. You get to sit at a stand all day."

"Jealous are we?"

"Maybe a little."

Marie leaned forward and looked at the radio, picking up the note and reading it just as Tori had done. She cast the note aside and noted the frequency before spinning the tuner, seeing if any other stations existed within range. When nothing was found she adjusted it back to where it was. Tori finished up in the kitchen and made her way into the living room as well, slumming into the other side of the couch. There wasn't a whole lot to do in post-crisis America, even with electricity. Tori wondered if maybe there was a shop around that sold any kind of board games or decks of cards so they could have something to do during their time off from work.

They lounged on the couch for a bit until the door opened once more and Diana filed in with Matthew and Dom behind her. They sat on the floor and and stretched, cracking and popping their joints to get comfortable. Diana made her way over to the couch and snuggled in beside Tori.

"How were the fields?" asked Marie.

"Not bad" said Matthew. "It's tough work, but it goes quick since you're always busy. We each got a blue and red chip, equals fifteen dollars."

"I got a blue chip" said Marie, with a nod from Diana on the other side of the couch as she held up her own blue chip."

Tori held up her red chip. "I guess manual labor earns you more."

The end of the day brought some exhaustion as none of them had had a proper meal in almost a week, and the manual labor had taken a lot out of them. Everyone except Diana. She leaned against Tori's side and traced little patterns on the top of her thigh, turning her head this way and that as if she could actually see what she was drawing. Tori watched her with curiosity, wondering how she wasn't lolling her head like the rest of them. But then she remembered: _I have my ways_. She smiled at the thought of Diana peeking around to see if anyone was watching before using her ability to make the job easier. It was still hard to get her head around the whole concept of magic, though. Where it came from, how it worked, anything really. And then there was her own supposed magic. How did she suddenly become able to feel other people's feelings? What did it all mean? There were a lot of questions but not a lot of time for answers. They had been on the go for days trying to find some sort of purpose, constantly sidetracked with finding food or gasoline or somewhere safe to stay. There weren't really any opportunities for Tori to really sit down with Diana alone and discuss these things, but she made a point to find a way to do that soon.

"Did you hear anything about this place when you were out at the fields?" asked Tori.

"No, we don't really talk out there" said Dom. "Everyone's busy doing their own thing in their own part, and it's kind of spread out."

"I was telling the girls at lunchtime that my boss said this has been going on for a lot longer than we thought. He said about three weeks now."

"Makes sense" said Matthew. "Dom and I were talking last night about how this place is put together, and we were saying how either they had a jump start on everything or the media was late to the party. Either way we don't know the full story."

"Do you guys have guards at your jobs?" asked Dom, getting up off the floor to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

"We do" said Marie, pointing her thumb to Diana. "They don't really do much though, and most of the time they're even hard to spot."

"Yeah they don't wear uniforms like cops so they blend in easy" said Diana.

"Well we have a lot of guards. And when I say a lot, I mean like fifteen." Matthew felt a bump on his shoulder and looked up, accepting water from Dom. "There's a truck specifically for them at each end of the field. They sit in the backs with rifles and just watch us all day long. If we do something wrong they rush in immediately and correct it, and I even saw a guy get hit in the face with the butt of a gun."

"Sounds like they're really protective of the food supply" said Tori.

As the sun continued to lower in the sky the radio crackled to life, making Diana and Matthew both jump as they were closest to it. A man cleared his throat and started speaking and they instantly recognized the voice of Del.

"We're having a town meeting tonight at the YMCA Auditorium. We would like for everyone to join us in thirty minutes. Thank you." The radio went silent again.

"Think we should go?" asked Diana.

"Might as well. We're new and he'll know if we aren't there" said Dom. "Let's head out."

They walked the two blocks to the YMCA and headed into the auditorium which was already packed with people. They weren't sure exactly how many people lived in the new town but it seemed like quite a few. Some of the guards were centered on the stage setting up a microphone and a table and chair for Del, while Del himself got ready on the side of the stage. The group went up a few rows and found some empty spots just to the left of center stage where they sat and waited for whatever was about to happen. After another five minutes the light dimmed and spotlight shone on stage directly above the microphone, to which Del stepped up to a smattering of applause.

"Thank you ladies and gentleman. First off, I want to thank you all for taking the time to come here at my request, that's very gracious of you. Secondly I want to welcome all of the new people that have showed up over the past few days. Everyone has adjusted to our little town very well. I'm excited to see a lot of smiling faces here tonight, especially since everything we knew literally crumbled around us just weeks ago, and is still crumbling now as we speak. It's not easy to lose everything you've ever worked for and revert to a lifestyle you've never known, but everyone in this room tonight has done just that, and done it very well.

"We still have a long way to go before we're fully self sufficient and running like a real town should, but we're off to a great start. Shay and her family have done a wonderful job setting up the produce stands. Marcus and his brother John are doing a fantastic job getting everyone acquainted with the fields and how to tend them correctly. We've all come together beautifully to create a safe haven in the middle of a conflict that threatened to tear our very foundation out from under out feet. We've banded together as brother and sister with our neighbors, welcomed strangers from different parts of the country that have sought refuge here and set a precedent for what any new towns that form after us will follow.

"We are the first of our kind in this new country. That said, there will be people that try to come and take what we've built here. Most people thought it would be nothing but chaos for months until the whole country was destroyed, and then another six months after that to get started what we have here. I didn't see it that way." The crowd cheered and whistled while Del smiled politely and raised his hand for silence. "I watched people change in an instant. Go from normal, happy Americans to crazed neanderthals in mere hours, torching cars and stealing, fighting each other and hoarding supplies. I knew those people would flake out quickly. Kill each other off or disappear into oblivion. But not us."

"What happened to Ron?" Someone in the back right side had stood up and was yelling out to Del. "He spoke out about you and now he's gone, what did you do with him?"

A smattering of conversation hit at once. People buzzed to their neighbors about what could have possibly happened. Did he leave? Was he forced to leave? Did something worse happen? Everyone speculated on these questions until Del waved them down, silencing the crowd once more.

"Now now, let's not get accusatory. I had a discussion with Ron about his behavior, and he questioned me about my policies and what I planned to do with Wanagi." Del crossed from one side of the stage to the other as he talked, taking his time in choosing his words. "He didn't like what I had to say. He tried to impose his ideas onto me instead of suggesting some kind of workable compromise, and when he turned violent I had him removed from my office with the sentence of banishment. He's a hot-headed man with a short fuse, and I don't feel like our residents would be safe with him here, and that's the basis of what Wanagi is all about; safety."

Tori turned around and made eye contact with Dom, who was staring intently at Del and watching his every move. She looked next to him and Matthew was doing the same, eyes full of analytical intent. Diana picked at a loose string on her shoe and Marie scanned the crowd, getting a feel for all of the different faces of the town. The woman who had stood to ask about Ron sat down and said nothing else for the rest of the assembly.

"Now, I knew that if I got the people of my tribe together and we put our resources into setting up a safe house that we would be able to save the good ones. The people that wanted to be saved, the people that understand you can't just throw everything out the window because your world changes on you. So we did just that. Then one house turned into two, into three. Before we knew it we had dozens of people looking to us to save them, to pull them out of this hell our country has become. And thus, Wanagi was born.

"Wanagi means ghost or spirit, which seemed fitting when we first came to Cheyenne. This place was a ghost town. Bombings and car fires were rampant, trash littered the streets and animals ran wild. We thought if we could clean up a small area of the town we could transport the refugees we had and start the building blocks of a new life. So we did just that. And now, look at us!" Del opened his arms up to the crowd and everyone cheered again, hooting and hollering and stamping their feet on the bleachers. "We have persevered, and we shall prosper!"

The louder the cheering got the more uncomfortable Tori became. She looked at the rest of their group, who for the most part mimicked her expression. Dom looked as if he didn't trust a word the man in the slick suit had to say and Matthew was the same. There was definitely something wrong with this picture, they just weren't sure what. Not yet anyway.


	9. Accosted

The next few days ran like clockwork. Tori woke up first and got dressed then shook Diana awake when she was ready, giving her a few more minutes to sleep. When they were ready they would wait in the living room for Marie to emerge, who was usually only a couple of minutes behind them. After they were all good to go they met the boys downstairs and waited with them until the field trucks came and waved goodbye. Tori would lead the way to the produce stand with the girls in tow and then hug each of them before they split off to their own jobs. Diana would linger for a second and sneak in a small kiss, nothing major since they were in public, but something for Tori to remember her by for the day. When the girls were out of sight Tori would enter the storefront and help drag the stands out and set them up with the help of her boss, Ralph.

That particular morning Ralph was in the store trying to drag the tables out by himself, coughing horribly each time he strained his muscles. Tori ran in and grabbed the other side of the table he was holding onto and helped him get it through the door. They had barely sat it down before Ralph started another coughing fit, sitting down in his rocking chair to get some rest.

"You OK?" asked Tori.

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. It's just the ol' cancer flarin' up" said Ralph.

Tori frowned. "What kind of cancer?"

"Lung, of course. People always ask me why I don't stop smoking now that I have lung cancer, and I tell 'em hey, I already have the cancer, and it's not gonna go away, so why should I stop now?"

"Can't argue that. Do you have any medication for it? Pain relievers or anything?"

"Ran out. Can't get anymore since I can't afford it here. Del and his goons raided all of the pharmacies around here and they keep all the meds locked up in the City Hall building."

"I guess nothing will make pills any cheaper, huh?" asked Tori. "We have some stuff that we salvaged from a pharmacy on our way here. I can bring you whatever you need if we have it."

"Not worth it really. I'm gonna go no matter what I start taking now, it's just a matter of time."

Ralph laughed and coughed at the same time, wiping sweat from his forehead with a bandana he kept in his pocket. He stood up after a minute and waved Tori back inside to grab the rest of the tables and finish setting up.

A few blocks away Diana was partnered with a construction crew cleaning out and repairing a street of large houses. The downtown area in any city usually held some of the nicest houses, and Cheyenne was no different. Both sides of the street were adorned with huge homes. Some of brick, some of stone. A couple had large balconies on the upper floors, something Diana had always wanted in a house of her own. These places had been thoroughly looted long before they got there, but surprisingly they were in pretty good shape. Some of them suffered fire damage while a couple down towards the end of the road were caught in a gas line explosion, but the majority of them stood just as they had a month ago. Diana looked to her crew leader who pointed to the second house on the left and her and the rest of their crew went inside.

The large dark stone house looked like it hadn't even been touched from the outside, but as soon as they entered it was obvious there wasn't anything left of value. The furniture had been turned over and papers were scattered everywhere. Ash from the fireplace coated the floor from someone supposedly thinking that something could be hidden in the chimney and the tools were tipped over into the opening. The kitchen was pretty much intact, with the majority of dishes still in their proper places. A glass cabinet stood open with some empty shelves and Diana guessed that there must have been some valuable china in it. Upstairs the five bedrooms had all been ransacked, but the master suite got it the worst. Drawers were completely removed from the dark mahogany dressers and the bed had been flipped over onto the floor. The tops were broken off of the bedposts as if something could have been stuffed inside them. The more Diana went through the house the more she liked it. The open floor plan, the cathedral ceilings and hardwood floors. She wondered if maybe she could convince Del to let them move into it, but that was probably a long shot.

From the window of the master bedroom Diana noticed one of the guards standing in the road talking on his radio. He paced back and forth and kept looking towards the house she was in, then down to the clipboard in his hand. It seemed like he may have been talking with Del about who was where in the cleanup effort but she didn't notice him looking anywhere else than at where she was. He wrote something down on the sheet and clipped the radio back to his belt, taking to pacing the street once more. Diana watched him for a minute, noticing every time he turned back in the direction of City Hall he looked towards the house she was in, but not any of the others. She wondered why he would be watching her so closely and decided to keep her magic on the down low for the day.

Before her sixteenth birthday Diana had gone about everything as a normal teenager. Studying for tests and going to concerts, talking on the phone and sneaking out at night. When she met Adam and the circle fell into place, everything she did changed. Instead of doing things manually she would use magic at every whim to speed up the process. Opening doors when she carried groceries into the house, holding the phone to her ear so she could use both hands without straining her neck. Then after everything came crashing down around her, she swore to go back to the way things were before, using magic only when it was absolutely necessary. Lately she found herself using it again in bits and pieces. Moving heavy objects and picking up glass, and even lightening the load when she took out trash. It was a dangerous habit to get back into and she thought about the consequences of falling back into that pattern, but she had Tori now and Tori would be there to help her out if things got bad.

One of the crew members came up the stairs and when Diana realized she wasn't alone anymore she got back to work, not wanting anyone to possibly rat her out for not working the whole time. A kind-faced girl poked her head into the master bedroom and waved at Diana then headed into the room next to it and began cleaning it out. The girl must have been twelve or thirteen, short and thin. Diana filled a trash bag with debris from the room and used it as an excuse to head out into the hallway, turning to head into the room the girl had disappeared into.

"Hi, I'm Diana."

"I'm Sarah. Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."

"Yeah. My friends and I got here yesterday" said Diana.

"Are they all your age?" asked Sarah.

"Yep. Do you have any brothers or sisters, or anyone around your age that you can hang out with?"

"Not really. Most of the people here are older, but there's a few kids." Sarah worked while she talked, putting papers and broken things in one trash bag and clothes in another. "We usually hang out at the YMCA after the work day is done."

"I heard about that" said Diana. "Is it nice?"

"Sure is. They have games that aren't missing any pieces, and there's even a swimming pool. It's not ready to be used yet but Del said it would be soon."

"Well I might have to come by tonight and check it out. I'll look for you."

"OK."

Diana returned to the other room so she could get back to work and have something to show for her time in the house. The little girl seemed pretty unphased by everything that had happened. Diana wondered if maybe she lived in the area before the conflict and was sheltered from most of the violence by her parents, then herded into this new town as soon as it was started. Whatever the case was, she assumed that there were at least a few other people in the town like her that would be level-headed when it came to big decisions. The thought comforted her and she continued cleaning up for the remainder of the afternoon.

Out at the fields Dom was learning how to drive a tractor while Matthew was in a group of people that did a few different tasks, ranging from picking crops to tending some of the farm animals they had rounded up into a large barn. There were four pigs, a cow, five horses and about a dozen chickens. Del had some breeders set up in the barn trying to get the animals to mate and strengthen their numbers. The sun was bright and hot overhead as they worked their separate jobs. Some people baled hay, some shucked corn and some worked in the large garden off to the left side of the fields. The garden was home to dozens of different things. Cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peas, beans and even peppers. A few women in gloves and aprons were the main tenders of the garden, having had experience in greenhouses before the conflict.

Dom, being the most careful of everyone in the group, naturally had wandering eyes the whole time they were out there. He watched all of the other crew members, but his main source of distrust was the guards. There were so many of them for such a small group of people and Dom couldn't figure out exactly why. Sure, the food supply needed to be guarded carefully in the current situation of the country, but Dom didn't think the risk really warranted fourteen guys with guns. Some of them were even automatic. They used radios to stay in contact at different points of the fields all day long, especially when a group was on the move to a different spot. Any time people or product moved, the guards were on top of it with watchful eyes.

That afternoon Matthew was in the barn wrangling the horses when he noticed there was a back door in the far left corner. A guard stood on that end of the barn, one of the ones with an automatic rifle, and paced back and forth the entire day. Matthew watched him over time to see if he ever left his post, and sure enough, he was there, rock solid, all day. There must have been a reason for one person to be stuck in a barn guarding a door with heavy weaponry like that, but Matthew wasn't really in the mood to find out what would happen if he asked questions or was caught sneaking around.

One of the stable boys came in called for lunch so Matthew put the horses back in their stalls and headed out front. The truck was backed up to the garden area and people were already swarmed around to buy what they wanted. Dom waited in the back for Matthew and waved him over when he came out from the barn.

"How's it goin' in there?" asked Dom.

"Fine. I'm not really sure but I think there's something going on here. There's a door in-"

Dom put on his stern face and looked to the right without moving his head, code that the brothers had memorized from a young age that there was an adult closing in and they needed to be quiet. One of the guards walked up to them and waved them forward, signaling that the line had died down a bit and they could move up to get some food. The boys moved up and each bought an apple and a bottle of water for two white chips each, then retreated to the far end of the road so they could talk in private.

"As I was saying," said Matthew, "there's a door in the back of the barn that's closed all day long, and a guard with a full auto stands next to it the entire time. I never see anyone come in or go out, but there's gotta be something back there if it's guarded like that."

"That's dangerous talk" said Dom, pouring a little water over his apple and shining it on his shirt. "You may very well be right, but we need to be careful what we say outside of our apartments. We don't know who we can trust yet or how fair the law system here really is."

"Wisdom well received, but keep a look out." Matthew laughed after the last line and shook his head. "Who am I kidding? You always have a look out."

Dom smiled. "Better to be a little stressed on the outside than totally relaxed on the inside." Some people might have thought that to be some sort of zen saying, but Matthew knew Dom was talking about prison, not health and body.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly as Dom had mentioned before. Being so busy all day makes the time go by quick. The sun started to lower in the sky, smearing oranges and purples behind whispy bands of clouds. Matthew and Dom met up and hopped into the back of the second truck as the first one pulled away. The trip back to town always seemed longer than the trip in, since they were going home to relax and looked forward to it. Back at the building they took turns getting in a shower before they knocked on the girls' door, opening it and entering upon audible permission.

Marie sat on the left end of the couch while Diana sat on the right. Tori lay across with her head in Diana's lap and her feet in Marie's. The boys walked in and sat on the floor, fixing ruffled hair and straightening t-shirts.

"I think we should make a run to the outskirts of the city, see if we can salvage some stuff for our places" said Matthew.

"Like what?" asked Marie.

"I don't know. TVs, video game systems, movies, books, whatever we can find. Hopefully some CDs or something."

"Damn!" Tori yelled, scaring everyone in the room. She sat up on the couch and looked upset. "I left my iPod in my car. I hope they didn't take it."

"We can go look sometime. If they did we'll get it back, I promise." Dom nodded with certainty and when Tori smiled he smiled back. "Field workers have weekends off, so Matthew and I can take the next couple of days to do some searching."

"Cleanup crew does too" said Marie, with a nod from Diana.

"Well that stinks" said Tori, pouting her lower lip. "I have to work."

"They got you on seven days a week?" asked Diana.

"Not necessarily. Each stand has two people running it and you switch the days off, but since I'm with Ralph and he's not doing so hot I'm making up extra hours."

"What's the matter with him?" asked Matthew.

"He has lung cancer" said Tori. "I think it's really getting to him. Over the past few days he's been coughing up chunks of tar or something and he's been really weak and tired."

"We have quite a bit of medicine from the pharmacy raid left, maybe we have something that could help him" said Marie.

Tori sat and thought for a second before what Ralph had told her came back and struck her like a bolt of lightning. "That too! He told me that medicine is locked up in City Hall and that it's pretty expensive. I also heard that if you get caught with it in your house it's a law violation or something because of the potential for hoarding."

Dom shook his head and rested his chin on his raised knee. His eyes scanned out the window, watching the clouds float by uninterrupted. "There's a lot of good things about this place. The electricity and running water, the shops and the food, and even the YMCA for the kids. But there's quite a bit that can go wrong too, and if it does, it could be bad."

The group sat around for a few minutes thinking about what Dom had said. There was the potential for overstepping on the Honovi's side, something that some people might say they were already doing by keeping all of the medicine at their own discretion. Diana knew that there was already a class system being implemented, with the nicest houses they were cleaning out being reserved for people that had a lot of money before the conflict. The old saying rang as true that day as it ever had; money rules everything around me.

"I want to take Tori up to City Hall before it gets too late to see if she can find her iPod," said Diana, "and then I need to stop by the YMCA to see someone. You guys can come along if you want."

Dom got up and stretched a little before looking towards the door. "I think I'm gonna boot up the laptop and look around the maps a little more, see what all is around us and work on some emergency plans. We need to have some ideas of what's going to happen if this place goes south."

Marie watched Matthew out of the corner of her eye. He laid back on the carpet, propped up by his elbows. Dom nodded to everyone and headed next door, but Matthew didn't move. "You guys can go alone, it'll give you some time to talk and catch up."

"OK, we'll be back a little later tonight. Stay out of trouble" said Tori.

Marie made a face. "You know me."

"Yes I do know you, which is why I said that."

Tori went into her room and grabbed her car keys then set out to City Hall with Diana. They walked side by side, watching kids play in the streets while the adults talked and had drinks. Diana wondered how much it would cost for a beer or a bottle of vodka in this new town, seeing as food and medicine were pretty pricey themselves. Two older men, one in a biker jacket and one in a flannel cut off to be a muscle shirt stood on the opposite corner of Tori and the group's apartment building, pointing up at the top and then making sweeping gestures down the sides. They nodded politely when Tori and Diana passed, not stopping their conversation which happened to be about foundations and supports. Other people congregated in a town square type area the lay just beyond the east side of City Hall, out of sight of big brother but close enough to town that it wasn't a haul. The bigger kids smoked cigarettes and rode skateboards while the younger kids chased each other in a game of tag. There didn't seem to be any adults around but Tori figured they had planned it that way. She was intrigued by some of the kids but their objective took them a different route, so she made a note to check the place out over the weekend.

City Hall was lit up against the darkening sky with office windows glowing their familiar yellow. Sometimes people passed in front of them in their work, which neither of the girls really knew what that work was. They rounded the building to the back to find Tori's car and noticed it straightaway. It had been lumped onto the left side with similar looking cars while the right side was full of older, rusted out cars. Tori approached the car and unlocked it, getting in half way to check around for her iPod. She was only in there for a minute before a guard yelled over to them, making Diana jump and swear under her breath.

"What are you two up to?" said the guard.

"This is my car, I'm looking for my iPod."

"Can you prove it's your car?"

"Yes" said Tori, holding up the keys. "How else would I have these?"

"You could have stolen them from someone" said the guard.

Tori's face hardened and she stood up a little straighter. "And do you think that's what I did?"

"I think Del doesn't trust you new group, and I trust him. There's been some militia activity in the area lately and I need to be sure you aren't with them." The guard moved into the passenger side of the car and opened the console, fished around a bit and closed it before looking through the glove box. Diana guessed he was looking for the title but he ended up coming back empty handed.

"I'll need to see some ID."

Tori's face burned red at the way she was being treated and she felt an uneasiness in her gut. "I don't have my ID on me. It's in my wallet, which is in my bedroom. Maybe you think the wallet was stolen too? Even the identity? What is this militia bull anyway?"

"Easy Tori" said Diana, reaching over and wrapping her hand around Tori's wrist.

Tori shook it off and stepped towards the guard, pointing a finger right at his chest. "This is ridiculous. We haven't had a single problem since we got here and you're treating me like a criminal. I showed you the keys to the car but you're still trying to flex your muscles at me."

"Alright miss, I'm gonna need you to calm down-"

"I'll calm down when you let us be" Tori interrupted, grabbing Diana's hand and pulling her in close to her side.

The guard pulled out his radio and turned his back to the girls, taking a few steps in the other direction before he started to speak. It was a different language that they'd never heard before, presumably the native language of his people. He said a few things and was silent for a while, not turning around while he waited. Another voice sounded from the radio in the same language, and after a second the guard turned backed to the girls and clipped the radio back onto his belt.

"I'm going to need you to come with me, Del would like to see you."

"Good, we'll see what he has to say about your conduct." Tori turned her back to the man so she was face to face with Diana, holding both of her hands in her own. "Go to the YMCA so you can see your new friend, I'll be fine here."

"No way Tori" said Diana, standing her ground. "I'm not letting you go alone. You need a witness."

"That's true, but you're a friend of mine and part of the group so anything you say won't matter to Del anyway. I'll be able to tell if something is wrong, remember?" She patted her chest and Diana smiled. "It's OK, I'll see you in a little bit."

Tori pecked Diana on the cheek and left with the guard. Diana stood in place for a whole two minutes, watching Tori walk all the way across the parking lot and into the building. She didn't like the fact that Tori was going in on her own, but she knew that she was a strong woman and wouldn't let anything happen to herself. Plus, Del wouldn't be stupid enough to try something in the beginning of his new town, would he?

Over towards the YMCA the town center was bustling even more than it was when they passed it on the way in. It was dark now and the square seemed to have swelled with twice the amount of people. Diana watched as a few kids skateboarded and rode bikes. A few couples were lying on each other and making out blatantly in front of the younger kids. She shook her head and continued to walk through when a voice called her out. A group of boys and girls were passing around a bottle in a brown bag and had waved for Diana to come and join them. She continued walking with her eyes straight ahead but the group moved towards her with the intent of cutting her off until she responded.

"Hey wait up, where are you goin' in such a hurry?" One of the older looking boys jogged up next to her fell into pace along side her.

"I'm supposed to see someone at the Y" said Diana.

"None of the kids that hang out there are worth your time" said the boy. "You should be hangin' out with us. We got drink, a little weed, you know."

"Sorry, I'm not into that stuff. I just need to go see my friend."

The boy grabbed Diana's arm and in an instinctual move she swung her arm around and grabbed onto his as well, so they were each gripping each others' forearm tightly. Diana twisted a little and let the image of sharp tacks running through the boy's veins float through her mind, and shortly after the boy started yelling in pain. He let go of her arm immediately and jumped back a couple steps, giving her a stare of anger and malice.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked.

"I didn't do anything to you, I just twisted your arm like you twisted mine. Now leave me alone and let me go."

"No, you know what, I don't think so."

The boy waved an arm above his head and the rest of the guys in the group behind him walked forward while the girls laughed and fell back. Diana took a few steps back and was getting ready to run when she bumped into someone behind her. She turned to see a tall dark woman, probably part of the Honovi tribe, standing behind her with her arms at her sides.

"Go on, girl. I'll take care of this."

Diana didn't think twice about it and fast walked away from the scene, turning her head once as she rounded the corner to see what was going on. The boys in the group had backed off and the woman was scolding them, holding a radio in her hand and practically shoving it in their faces. The boy that had grabbed Diana's arm looked frightened but defiant, finally rounding up his crew and leaving the park area. The woman who had saved her waved everyone else off too in an attempt to clear the park of all of its inhabitants before heading across the street, presumably back to wherever she had come from. Diana picked up the pace and finally entered the Y about five minutes later, closing the door tight behind her.

Tori followed the guard into the City Hall building and up the stairs they'd traversed a few days prior in their first meeting with Del. She waited in the hallway while the guard knocked on the door and opened it a fraction, announcing that they had arrived. Del was talking into a radio but turned it off hastily as soon as he saw Tori, waving her into his office. She walked in and took a seat in one of the plush chairs that faced the desk, wondering what Del would have to say to her about the situation. Del nodded to the guard who retreated into the hallway and shut the door.

"So. Tori. What happened tonight?"

"I was reminded that I left my iPod in my car, so I came here to get it. I opened the car, with my keys," Tori held them up and jangled them in front of her face, "and was looking for it when your guard started harassing me."

"What do you mean by harassing?" asked Del.

"He wanted me to prove it was my car, so I showed him the keys. He told me I could have stolen them and looked at me like a common thief, then went on about some militia business and said I could be with them. I told him square to his face that I didn't steal the car and still he wanted to see ID, which I don't have on me."

"I see" said Del, drumming his fingers together. He looked troubled and Tori could feel that he was nervous about something, and maybe a little angry. "Well I apologize for the inconvenience to you, but you must understand that my guards are just looking out for everyone's best interests."

"Yeah I get that, but how much proof does the guy want? I think he was just trying to mess with me." Tori looked at Del hard with unwavering eyes.

"Now now, let's keep this cordial and not get into a blame game."

"He also said that he thinks you don't trust me and my friends. What do you have to say to that?"

Del licked his lips and looked out the slim window next to the door at the guard who was waiting outside. He cleared his throat and blinked slowly, turning back to Tori with a smile. "I'm sure he didn't mean that. He was probably just being defensive over your aggressive behavior."

"_My _aggressive behavior?" Tori shrieked, her voice cracking at the volume and pitch it was at. "You obviously don't-" The radio Del was previously holding beeped twice loudly and Del picked it up, placing it upright on the desk in front of him.

"Miss Vega, please. I'm sorry for the way you were treated by my guard, and I will talk to him to assure it doesn't happen again. Now if you don't mind, I have pressing issues to attend to."

Tori looked at the man with as much spite as she could muster before getting up without another word. She flung the door open and marched down the stairs so fast the guard was rushing to keep up. Back in the parking lot she rummaged through her car once more, under the watchful eye of the guard, until she found her iPod and placed it in her pocket. She shut the door and locked the car with the remote on her keyring and stormed off through the lot towards the apartment complex.

This town was exactly like any other town had been before the conflict, except with the guise of a 'Rebuilding America' agenda on top. It had a gullible population of citizens willing to do whatever it took to get back a sense of normalcy during the day, but it also had the seedy underbelly of deception and the long arm of the law. They'd only been there a week and already Tori had been accosted for searching through her own car. She wondered, if they stayed long enough, what else she would be able to find out about the perfect town of Wanagi.


	10. Upping The Ante

Back at the apartment building Marie and Matthew sat alone in the girls' place, not sure of what to do. Matthew looked at the radio on the table and after thinking about it for a few minutes, he got an idea.

"Maybe I could be a DJ?"

"What?" asked Marie, "how?"

"Del has control over the radio station that broadcasts on the frequency all of our radios listen on" said Matthew. "If I ask him, maybe he'll let me use the frequency to play music from Tori's iPod or something. Just on the weekends for a few hours."

Marie smiled and turned towards him in her seat. "That would be awesome. I'd like to hang out at the station with you if he lets you do that."

"Sure thing" said Matthew, turning a little red in the cheeks. "How come we never hung out before all this?"

"I don't know. Probably because we used to tug-of-war with Tori on who got to spend more time with her and who was her real best friend."

"Yeah, look how that turned out" Matthew joked, laughing at the thought of Tori finally having a girlfriend. "I'm really glad she's happy."

"Me too" said Marie. "And what perfect timing." She laid sideways on the couch, putting her head in Matthew's lap and getting comfortable. Matthew put his arm over her shoulders and smiled, staying still so she would be comfortable.

They sat like that for maybe half an hour before there was a knock on the door. Before Matthew could get up Dom came in quietly, shutting the door softly behind him to muffle the click. He saw that Marie was sleeping and didn't want to wake her. Matthew looked up at Dom, wondering why he'd come back when he said he was probably going to turn in early. Dom took a knee by the edge of the table.

"I think if we're going to scavenge some things we're gonna have to do it by cover of darkness" said Dom. "They seem to like getting their hands in everyone's cookie jar as often as possible so I'm sure there's a rule that says you can't scavenge the houses in the city."

"Do you want to go now, then?" asked Matthew.

"Yeah. I got the radios ready and everything, just need you to change into something darker."

"Alright." Matthew slipped off the couch and picked Marie up in his arms, carrying her to her room so he could tuck her in. Marie's room was clean for the most part, aside from the bunches of clothes all over the place. Matthew stepped over everything he could see so he wouldn't trip and laid Marie in her bed, grabbing the covers and pulling them up to her chest. He made sure she was secure and wouldn't fall off the bed before turning to leave and Marie grabbed his arm, pulling him down to her. She kissed him lightly on the lips, hovering for a second before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Be careful, OK?"

"Always" said Matthew.

Dom led the way out of the apartment building towards the direction they came. The detour cut off some major roads that looked like they held some nice sized houses and that's where Dom figured they would find some stuff. The night sky was very dark, much darker than they ever remembered it being before the conflict. The absence of electricity in all of the cities around them cut out light pollution almost one hundred percent, and the stars shined brightly overhead. They turned the last corner of the Wanagi town line and quickly had to find a place to hide. Three cars, very quiet ones, filed one after the other down a street that was blocked off for the detour. They casually drove around the barricade and off into the blackness almost as if they were trained wheelmen. Dom turned to Matthew and back to the cars until their tail lights couldn't be seen anymore.

"What do you think that was about?" asked Dom.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but I think speculation in this situation is dangerous."

"Good point. Let's go."

They decided to backtrack and go the opposite direction instead of following the cars, hoping that they wouldn't run into anymore on their journey. The first house they came to was a big red brick place with white columns holding up an awning over the front entrance. Dom waved Matthew over and they checked the side of the house for unlocked windows, getting lucky on the first one. Dom pushed it open and Matthew hoisted him up, then headed back around front since Dom unlocked the front door. The inside of the house didn't look as great as the outside but it was obvious this place wasn't looted. Papers were scattered across the floor and the hallway closet was mostly in the hallway itself, but these were signs of a family looking to leave quickly, not of scavengers looking for valuables.

The living room held a forty inch flatscreen that Dom figured he'd be able to carry himself. He picked it up and tested the weight, pleasantly surprised at the lightness of it. The cords were all present so he wrapped them around front and left the TV so he could scour the rest of the place. Matthew headed upstairs and started checking bedrooms, stepping on DVD cases on his way into one of them. He guessed the first one must have been a teenage boy's room due to the pictures of girls on the walls as well as some bands. There were still clothes hanging in the closet so Matthew grabbed a hoodie and tried it on, smiling when he realized they were the same size. He grabbed a workout bag from the floor and filled it up with hoodies and t-shirts then zipped it and threw the strap over his shoulder. On the way out his flashlight skipped over an Xbox 360 and a mountain of games, and he knew instantly that he couldn't leave it behind. He pulled the bag to his front and unzipped it, stuffing the console and all of its accessories inside before zipping it again and readjusting.

Dom checked the kitchen and found a lot of food still left. A ton of junk food, cluing him into the teenager whose room Matthew had just raided, but also a lot of canned stuff that would last them a while. He unzipped the bag he brought with him and filled it up with everything he could find, including some of the drinks in the fridge. Matthew appeared next to him and signaled that the house was clear and he had grabbed what was worth it so they headed back into the living room to grab the TV. Matthew took Dom's bag and tucked it over his other shoulder, trying to find balance with two bulging dufflebags pulling him down. Dom stood with his back to the TV and wrapped the cables around his waist and shoulders, tucking them into his pants and tightening his belt so would have a little leniency with the weight. When they were ready he hoisted the TV up onto his back and scooped his arms under the bottom, heading for the front door to go back home.

Luckily, they didn't encounter anyone on the way back. By the time they got back to their apartment Dom nearly dropped the TV onto the living room floor, ecstatic to be rid of the extra bulk. After a bit of a rest he lifted the TV onto the empty stand and plugged it in. To his relief the panel flickered on and snowed due to no cable connection. Matthew dropped his bags by the door as he was equally winded with the heaviness of canned food and electronics.

"Now we just have to get a DVD player or something to plug into it" said Dom.

"Way ahead of you bro" said Matthew, pulling the Xbox out of his bag with the games and controllers.

"Nice going, looks like we picked the right house."

"As long as no one comes snooping we should be fine" said Matthew, putting the game console onto the TV stand shelf and feeding the cords through the hole in the back. "I wonder what they would do if they found this stuff in here."

"I would just tell them that we had it in the trunk of Tori's car. We scavenged it from a supermarket we stopped at before we made it here and we grabbed the TV since we were thinking of settling down somewhere for a while." Dom carried the games over to the shelf and stacked them up then plugged the controllers into the console to charge.

"Hopefully they go for that cause I really don't want to see what Del's idea of justice is."

Diana walked around the lower levels of the YMCA, looking for the girl Sarah she had met earlier on work detail. It was late so most of the kids had gone home but a few still remained in the lounge areas. A sign on the door said the hours were eight until ten, and it was well after that so Diana assumed that they were just a guideline and sometimes they were bent either way. She reached the end of the hall and looked to her left, noticing a smaller room tucked into the corner that had a bunch of bright multicolored items in it. She heard laughter so she headed in that direction to see what was going on. Sarah was playing with a bunch of different colored foam blocks with letters and numbers on the sides, apparently trying to teach some of the younger kids how to spell basic words. Diana entered the room quietly and sat on the couch against the wall and watched.

It only took a minute for Sarah to realize she was there and stand up, letting the kids she was watching reign free over the toys within their reach.

"Hey, I was wondering if you would show up" said Sarah.

"Yeah I ran into some kids at the park on the way in, took me a minute to get through."

Sarah made a face and picked up some of the blocks. "It's best to go the other way and avoid the park if you can. A lot of the kids there are no good."

"So I noticed. I don't see any of those people in the apartment building, so where do they stay?" asked Diana.

"There's another building like yours behind here and to the...right." Sarah looked around pointed. "Yeah, right. It's already full though since it was the first one to open when the town got started."

"Is that where you stay?"

"Yep."

"And all these bad kids, they just congregate in the park?"

Diana watched Sarah pick up the rest of the toys in the room and put them all in a box in the corner then shut the lid. The younger kids crawled around and chased each other until someone showed up in the doorway. Two of them ran to the woman and Sarah waved, making Diana assume that she was the childrens' mother. Sarah picked up the last kid and set him on a chair by the door, turning back to face Diana.

"Mostly. My sister tells me they are bad people and they just sit around do drugs and stuff all day. I see them smoking a lot and sometimes they have bottles of alcohol, and people always wonder where they get it. I heard they have scouts that leave town to go scavenge nearby areas."

Diana raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Do they now?"

"Yeah but it's against the rules. Del says once you're in town you should leave the scavenging to them. He doesn't like people leaving town and coming back."

"Interesting" said Diana. "And what happens if you do leave and come back and you get caught?"

"I heard they take the stuff you found, or make you pay to keep it. Something about the items from the surrounding areas going to help everyone in the town, not just whoever wants to go out and take it."

"I'll have to remember that."

Sarah wiped down the bigger toys with a disinfectant cloth and stacked them in the corner by the toy box. Diana watched and eventually heard a couple more female voices coming their way from down the hall. The two women entered the room and one of them ducked to pick up the little boy in the chair, kissing him all over and squeezing him before setting him back down so she could talk to Sarah.

"Thanks for staying late, kid. I owe you."

"No problem, Darc. Have a good night."

The woman left with her son and that left Sarah and Diana as the last ones, along with the dark skinned girl that waited by the door.

"You ready to go, Sarah?" the new girl asked.

"Yeah, just a sec. Cora this is Diana, Diana this is my sister Cora."

"Nice to meet you" said Diana, extending her arm for a handshake. Cora stepped forward and took it and shook with a smile on her face.

"You too. So how did you meet Sarah?"

"Work detail. We were cleaning up the same house today."

"I see. I like her working with responsible people, someone that will look after her you know" said Cora. "I know she doesn't really need it since she's smart and pretty self sufficient but I like to have eyes around just in case she gets lumped with any of the riff raff from the park."

Diana nodded her head and looked over at Sarah, watching her write something down on a notepad and then close it and lay the pen on top. She looked so small and fragile, she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight against any of those kids.

"OK, I'm ready. Thanks for stopping in, Diana. I'll probably see you at work on Monday if I don't see you before that." Sarah checked her watch before they headed out of the room, counting on her fingers. "Lights will go out in a few minutes so make sure you're out before then. Don't wanna get locked in in the dark."

"Alright kiddo, be good" said Diana.

Cora smiled and nodded a goodbye as they left the room. Diana explored the building a little before she left, taking a right out of the door instead of a left to see what was at the other end of the hallway. The teen room was a couple doors down and much bigger than the room she had just left. It had two billiards tables, a ping pong table and a few couches and chairs scattered here and there. The clock on the wall read two minutes to eleven so Diana high tailed it to the front door, wanting to get out before the hallways got dark and she got lost. She passed the pool on her way out and noticed it even had a slide. The group would have to get some use out of that during the summer.

Back at the apartment Diana slipped inside quietly since the lights were off. She kicked off her shoes and tiptoed to the bedroom, noticing Tori was already in bed. She changed, a little difficultly, in the dark and then got into bed. Tori stretched and rolled over so she was facing Diana, reaching out and laying a calming hand on her hip. Diana took a deep breath and closed her eyes, snuggling in close to Tori for warmth and comfort. It had been a long day and all she wanted was to be in Tori's arms, and lucky for her, that was exactly what she got.

The next morning Tori woke up first, as usual. She set out into the kitchen and grabbed water and an apple before sitting back down on the couch, staring at the floors and the walls since there was nothing else to do. She ate her apple slowly, reflecting on everything that had happened in the past week. Meeting Diana. Learning of the conflict. The explosion on the way back from Diana's. The car bomb. The man on the side of the road. The bridge full of bodies. The packed highway where the man was killed in his car. The boys in the supermarket. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time, big things that really pulled on them emotionally and physically. Tori was tired and it had only been a week. She shook her head and blew out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, perking up when there was a knock at the door. She got up and unlocked the deadbolt, opening the door to reveal a freshly showered Dom standing in the hallway.

"Hey Tor, anyone else up?" asked Dom.

"Nope, just me. What's up?"

"We went out last night" said Dom, leaning in so he could talk more quietly. "You should come over and hang out."

"I would," said Tori, "but I have to work. Remember?"

"Ah, that's right. Well come by later when you get out and hang with us if you want."

"Sure, I'll see you later."

Tori finished getting ready for work and headed to the produce stand to open up. The streets were calm and almost completely dead since the field, cleanup and construction details didn't work on weekends. The produce stands were open every day under order from the Honovi, as well as the shops, but that was mostly because the owners wanted to make money. Tori reached the storefront and unlocked the door with the key she'd been given by Ralph, stepping inside to prop the door open. She heard a low rumbling sound and thought it might be another car so she looked out towards the street, realizing the sound was coming from behind her. She looked around inside the store and found Ralph sleeping on the floor behind the counter.

"Ralph, wake up" she said. "It's morning. Why aren't you at home?"

Ralph stirred and came to, wiping sleep from his eyes and coughing. "Well I was doing inventory last night and I just got so tired, I didn't think I'd be able to make it home."

"Do you want me to help you to your place before I open up? I don't want you to have to try to stumble home on your own." Tori noticed a paper bag on the ground next to where Ralph was sleeping and picked it up.

"I'll have that" he said, reaching for the bag. Glass pieces clanked together and Tori realized they were alcohol bottles.

"So you got drunk and couldn't manage to make your way back, is that it?" asked Tori, her hands on her hips.

"Now don't look at me like that" said Ralph, setting his bag on top of the counter and making his way to the closest produce table. "You know as well as I do that I'm dying, I'm just trying to have some fun before I go. Now help me move these tables."

Matthew was sitting on the couch playing a game when someone knocked on the door. He paused and looked over at Dom, wondering if it could be someone from the tribe. Dom looked through the peep hole and waved Matthew on, telling him there wasn't a threat. Marie and Diana stepped inside and stopped in their tracks, admiring the new TV and games they boys had acquired.

"Busy night last night?" asked Marie, a wicked smile in pointed in Matthew's direction.

Matthew smiled but didn't take his eyes off the game. "Yeah well, gotta keep ourselves occupied you know."

When everyone was sitting down and comfortable Diana cleared her throat to talk. She decided to tell them what happened the night before with Tori and the kids at the park, wondering if maybe one of them would have a different perspective on the situations.

"Last night when we tried to get Tori's iPod out of the car a guard stopped us and was harassing us pretty hard."

Matthew paused the game and Dom looked up from the Atlas he'd scavenged from the rest stop. Marie turned in her seat to face Diana and tilted her head, waiting for Diana to continue.

"He wanted proof the car was ours and he wanted to see ID, but Tori didn't have it on her." Diana smiled at the next part of her memory. "She got pretty confrontational with the guard."

"Sounds about right" said Marie. "Did she get herself in trouble?"

"He called Del in his radio and told him what was happening and then said Tori had to go with him. I tried to go too but she waved me off, saying that she would be able to take care of it."

"Still sounds right" said Matthew.

"I'm not sure what happened with her after that. I went to the YMCA to look for someone I met during work detail, and I happened to pass the park on my way there. The kids were all shady and looked like they were looking for trouble. Some of them had alcohol and they were smoking, and by the looks of some of them it wasn't just cigarettes."

"Maybe _they _are with the scary militia that Del and his guards are so worried about" said Tori.

"Where did they get their hands on that stuff?" asked Dom. "And wait, what about this militia?"

"No idea, but when I tried to pass they stopped me and one of them got in my face. I told them I just wanted to keep going but the supposed leader of the group grabbed my arm."

Matthew's expression turned dark and Dom's eyes went cold. "Did he hurt you?" asked Dom.

"No, I twisted his arm to make him let go of me and was about to run, but some Honovi woman came up behind me and told me to go. I didn't ask any questions and took off but it looked like the kids were worried about what she could do."

"Tori?" Dom directed his attention right at her, hoping to get an answer besides a haphazard guess.

"Del's guard said something them having militia activity around here lately" said Tori. "I don't know what he meant by it specifically but I do know when I said something to Del he didn't seem pleased."

Dom shook his head at the news and delinquent kids in their immediate area, and the possible threat of militia intervention. Of course Chicago was rampant with criminals before the conflict but their world was a much different place now. Any situation could turn deadly in the blink of an eye and every person with criminal intent became that much more dangerous. Desperation and survival instinct hiked up the probability of being harmed in some way during every waking moment. Matthew thought hard about what Diana had said since it struck a chord in his memory but he couldn't put his finger on it, and after a little thinking he gave up and unpaused his game, going back to shooting whatever was in front of him.

"Are you OK?" asked Marie, looking at Diana for signs of trauma.

"I'm fine, I was just a little shaken up by it last night. I didn't really expect it even though I should have."

"If we avoid that area I'm sure we won't have to deal with it again. If you need anything let me know, OK?" Marie smiled and Diana couldn't help but give her a hug.

"Hey Matty, save that and come with me" said Dom. He disappeared into his bedroom and came out a minute later as Matthew was turning off the TV. "Girls, why don't you head over to the produce stand and see Tori for a bit. Keep her company."

"Why, where are you going?" asked Diana.

"Just to scope out some shortcuts for our scavenging activities. We left in the dark last night but I think if we look around a bit we can shorten our trips next time."

The girls got up and headed next door to put their shoes on and grab a light sweatshirt, waving on their way out. Matthew shut the door behind them and turned to his big brother with one eyebrow raised in skepticism.

"Where are we really going?"

Dom smirked. "Can't put one past you, can I?"

"No you can't. Now what's the deal?"

"We're going to pay a visit to the park and have a chat with these local kids."

It was still early, around eleven in the morning, but it was the weekend so Dom assumed that the kids would be at the park. He and Matthew set out with a solid purpose; show the local kids who they need to stay away from to make sure their group stays safe. They didn't run into too many people on the way there since a lot of the citizens were sleeping in or relaxing at home. Before they reached the final corner to the park they heard the loud laughter of the kids and skateboards clicking off and onto the ground, alerting them that their target was indeed present.

Dom crossed the street with his hands in his pockets, Matthew following closely by his side. The park area looked like it may have once been a nice place to bring your family and spend some time outside. The area was large enough for something like a farmer's market, something that they both could safely assume happened regularly before the conflict. Now, the area was covered in graffiti and the stone benches were chipped from skateboarders. Trash littered the ground as well as broken glass in some areas. Cigarette butts, broken bottles and baggies pushed up against the fence on the far side, showing the boys in which area the group they were looking for mostly congregated. As they entered the park one of the boys from the other group noticed them over the head of someone shorter than him, tapping his friends on the shoulder and pointing. They entered a formation and walked towards Dom and Matthew with as much confidence as the boys had.

"Good morning gentleman, what can I do for you?" The boy smiled at his condescending statement and his friends laughed in the background.

"My name is Dom, and this is my brother Matthew. We're here to get some information about a group of kids that tried to attack a friend of ours last night."

The boy looked pensive for a moment and crossed his arms over his chest. "And by 'friend of yours,' do you mean that prude little bitch that passed by here last night?" Matthew balled his hands into fists and the boy didn't miss the action. "Hey now, no need to get physical. We're just having a chat."

"What's your name?" asked Dom.

"I'm Shawn. This is Ernie, James, Morgan, Bekkah, Telly and Jake."

"Well our friend Diana came through this way last night and said that someone grabbed her and planned on doing something not so nice" said Dom, cracking his jaw as he spoke. "I'm assuming that was you by that statement you made before."

Shawn tapped Ernie and nodded his head with a smile, and Ernie responded with a snicker. "Yeah, I tried to get her to come hang out with us. She blew us off, and I didn't take too kindly to that."

"So you don't see how in this new country we're living in a teenage girl, walking by herself after dark, wouldn't want to stop and hang out with a bunch of shady looking people?" asked Matthew.

"Who are you callin' shady? You better watch what you say around here."

Dom stepped forward so he was almost nose to nose with Shawn. "Why? You seemed to be afraid of that woman that stepped to you last night, so you obviously adhere to some rules. What makes you so bad ass if you follow orders?"

The other group stood stone-faced but Shawn laughed. "You say that because you don't know. You wouldn't be runnin' your mouth to me right now if you knew who I was or what I can do."

"I'm standing right here. Show me who you are."

One of the Shawn's group members shouted a 'hoo' noise from the back, distracting Matthew from the situation. He took his eyes off of Shawn to look in the direction that the noise came from and instantly regretted his mistake. Shawn took out a switchblade and popped it open, shoving it deep into Matthew's side in one fluid motion. He jabbed with the knife again but Dom was on him this time, grabbing his arm before he could complete his swing. Dom had the advantage with being taller and having longer limbs. Shawn's group swarmed in and tried to swing at Dom the best they could but no one dared attack him directly while he had a hold of Shawn's arm. Shawn waved everyone back as Dom tightened his grip, twisting and pulling as he dragged Shawn a few steps away from the group.

"You OK, Matty?" asked Dom.

"I'm good, it was a clean puncture."

Shawn narrowed his eyes at Matthew and turned back to Dom, hardening his face. "Your brother's lucky he was standing where he was or I would have separated his ribs for him."

Dom twisted Shawn's arm the rest of the way and applied pressure to the bottom, pulling through when he heard the forearm snap into two pieces. Shawn yelled out in pain, not daring to move since the broken limb was still in Dom's hands.

"You made a mistake today, Shawn, and I promise you, you will regret it someday. Even more than you do now." Dom shoved Shawn away from him toward his group of friends, earning another yelp. Matthew held his hands to his side to try to keep the wound from bleeding too much. The blood had already soaked most of the bottom of his shirt and his hands, dripping down and covering his left pant leg as well.

"Dom let's get out of here before this gets worse" said Matthew.

"Tit for tat, Shawn. You hurt one of mine, I hurt you. This doesn't need to go any further. You leave my group alone and we'll leave your group alone." Dom backed up all the way to the sidewalk with his eyes still on the other kids.

"Yeah we'll see about that" said Shawn. "Your girl is a freak anyway."

Dom clenched his jaw and hurried Matthew back to the apartment as fast as he could. Matthew laid down flat on the couch and kept pressure on the wound while Dom retrieved his first aid kit from this room. He pulled out gauze and rubbing alcohol and an ace bandage, setting everything up on the coffee table next to them. Matthew lifted up and slid his blood-soaked shirt over his head, wincing in pain at the movement. The adrenaline of the situation had worn off and now the pain from the wound was settling in. Dom soaked a cotton ball in alcohol and ran it along the sides of the wound, cleaning up a bit of the dried blood. It was still actively bleeding so he got to work patching the gauze over the cut, letting the blood from the wound stick it in place. Once he unwrapped the ace Matthew lifted up his hips with great effort, holding it for as long as he could while Dom wrapped the bandage around his waist a couple times to make sure it was tight. Matthew tried to sit up but Dom pushed him back down, heading into Matthew's room to grab his pillow and blanket.

"You're gonna be here for a little while" said Dom. "I don't want you moving until that has time to settle."

"How long do you think?" asked Matthew.

"At least the weekend. We have some painkillers from the pharmacy that will get you through work for the first few days until it starts to heal."

"You're the boss. Can I have some water?"

"Sure thing man."

The afternoon was slow going after that. Matthew burned up and cooled down at an excelerated rate, making Dom worry that he might be catching an infection. He tried to keep him warm and cool when need be, tucking him into blankets but wiping his forehead down with a cool cloth so he didn't overheat. For most of the next few hours he was in and out of the bathroom refreshing the cloth and bringing Matthew little bits of food, seeing if he would be able to eat. It was a trying time for Dom, seeing his brother mortally wounded. The whole situation hadn't really been real in his head, even though he attacked all of his duties with vigor and understanding, but this really removed the film from his eyes.

Later on in the afternoon Dom was watching a DVD on their new TV, a horror movie that had been tucked in the case of the game that was in the Xbox when they picked it up. A knock sounded and he answered the door, letting Tori in and sitting back down. She shook her head in approval at the new setup and was about to ask where the stuff had come from when her smile quickly faded as she saw Matthew on the couch with his blood-soaked shirt on the floor next to him.

"Dom what happened?"

"I think we should wait til everyone gets here so I can get it all out at once."

It didn't take long for the other girls to show up and when Tori heard them enter their place next door she got up and went over there. The look of worry on her face was enough for them to follow without asking questions, and when they saw Matthew they knew something was really wrong. Marie hurried over to his side and dropped to her knees next to the couch, grabbing every part of him she could touch without hurting him.

"Dom wanted to wait to explain til we were all here" said Tori. "Let's hear him out."

The elder brother took a drink and set it down on the table, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "When I told you earlier that we were going to scout shortcuts for scavenging, I lied."

"No kidding genius" said Marie. "So what did you really do?"

"We went to the park to have a chat with the kids that went after Diana."

Diana's face turned pale and she looked like someone had died. "Oh no, you shouldn't have! Those people are dangerous, Dom."

"Yeah, we see that now." Dom fidgeted with his fingers as he looked at his younger brother. "Thing is, if we're going to live here, safely and peacefully, we have to have a presence. Not ruthless and shady like them, but we can't let anyone push us around."

"That sounds like schoolyard BS" said Marie, not taking her eyes off Matthew.

"Yeah it does, because that's exactly what it is. These kids are trying to intimidate us since we're a threat to them. They're trying to keep their territory and whatever grip they have on getting substances to themselves, and another group that rivals theirs is cause for concern."

Tori looked between each person as they talked, thinking about the potential damage down the road the injury could give to Matthew. "It's like dealing with a bully" she said. "If you snap back, they'll stop. Most of the time."

"She's right" said Dom, nodding gently. "There's a possibility that they might still come after us. All of us. But I doubt they'll do that anytime soon, if at all."

"Why's that?" asked Diana. "If they were crazy enough to stab Matthew in broad daylight who's to say they won't show up here at any moment?"

The ghost of a smile shaded across Dom's face. "Because I broke the leader's arm."

Marie looked triumphant while Diana looked scared to death and Tori looked pensive. Dom stood up and headed into the bathroom to wet a new wash cloth, setting it on Matthew's forehead to keep him cool with all the pain meds running through him. Diana crossed the room and brought Dom into a hug, pressing her face into his chest and squeezing hard so he would feel how appreciative she was.

"You know, I don't know that much about you but I can confidently say that I'd trust you with my life. Thank you for doing that for me."

Dom held her head close to him and patted her back gently. "Like I said when we got here, we're family. And you protect your family at all costs."


	11. Out On The Town

With the recent happenings Tori decided that she would spend Sunday with Diana. She hoped the two of them would be able to roam around a little more and get a little more acquainted with the town and what it had to offer. She wanted to check out the YMCA and see some of the other shops, and hopefully talk to the residents and see what the place was really like, and not just what the 'officials' put out there. Early in the morning Tori rose first, as usual, and completed her morning ritual before waking Diana up gently. She kissed her on the cheek and slid her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Diana smiled with her eyes still closed and stretched in her spot, slowly blinking to adjust to the light.

"Mornin' sunshine" said Tori.

"Hey."

"I wanna take you out today, is that OK? What do you say? Yay or nay?" Tori struck a pose and Diana burst into laughter.

"Yay, I say" said Diana, throwing back the covers so she could get up. "I'll be quick and we can get out of here."

Tori waited in the living room for Diana to finish up and off they went. They decided to keep going the direction of the store they had first stopped in and see what else they could find on that strip. The first place they came to was a clothing store that had signs in the windows advertising free clothes for children. Tori decided to duck inside and look around a bit to see if they had anything in her size.

The inside of the store was a little musty, which was to be expected. Rows of tables lined the floor from one side of the store to the other and all were piled high with different types of garments, split into gender and age sections. Adult women was in the back right so Tori headed in that direction. She found a few things at first glance that she might like, picking up a light blue shirt with a wide collar and holding it to her chest. She turned and modeled it to Diana, shaking her butt and twirling in a circle. Diana laughed and held up a shirt of her own, a pink and purple tank top with a flower pot on it. Tori burst out in giggles and the noise from their amusement drew the attention of the shopkeeper.

A younger woman, maybe mid thirties, stepped out from a back room with a smile on her face. She nodded to the girls and rounded her way to the front to stand by the counter next to the front door. Tori thought she had a familiar face, probably from coming to the stand at lunch time.

"Hi, I'm Sharon. If you girls need anything just let me know."

"Thank you" said Tori. "How much for this shirt?"

"Adult shirts are three white, pants are five. Older kids to teens are two white and four respectively, and younger kids and baby stuff is free."

"Awesome. What do you think, Diana?"

"I think it's perfect for you. You should get it."

"I suppose I will. Ma'am, do you know where we can get any laundry soap? We're kind of piling up a bit these days."

"There's a market-type shop around the corner from here that has stuff like that, but you're gonna pay for it."

Tori folded the shirt over her arm and continued to look through the store. She found a corduroy-style tank top that she thought would fit her well and grabbed that too, planning ahead for the summer months that would be coming rather quickly. Diana scanned the tables herself and came up empty handed, right up until they made their way towards the counter. She spotted a purple belly shirt that had a wand on the front and said 'It's Magic!" in gold letters. Tori saw what she was looking at and a huge smile plastered across her face.

"You're getting that, no question."

"Yeah I don't think I could pass that up" said Diana.

They carried their items to the front and the woman grabbed a plastic bag from under the counter to put them in. She had everything tucked away and wrote down what she'd sold on a clipboard, same as Tori did at her job, and slid it back in it's spot.

"So," said Tori, "who's got the dirt around here?"

Sharon's eyes lit up like Tori had struck one of her pleasure chords. "Well, gossip in a small town like this, especially in the state we're in, is dangerous, but if you keep your ear to the ground you can usually find a juicy piece or two."

"Like what?" asked Diana. "We just got here recently and found out that this place has been on the rise for over a few weeks now. There's gotta be some tidbits you can throw our way." She smiled her gorgeous smile and Sharon shook her head energetically.

"Well let's see. There was the first militia raid about a week and a half into it. We were just getting the rest of the area around your produce stand cleared out when they rode in. Two groups in big trucks with guns in the back. They moseyed on in and went straight for the food, of course. Del and his goons came out with their guns and threatened to take them head on but the militia ended up just taking off and going somewhere else."

"Did anyone get hurt?" asked Tori.

"No, not that time. But then there was Ron."

"We remember him," said Tori, "the day he was yelling in the street was the day we got here."

"He disappeared pretty quick. I think Del wanted to get him gone so people wouldn't start asking questions about his operation. Thing is, you gotta be careful who you talk to. There's a lot of people around that are loyal to the Honovi since they're scared of what will happen if this place falls apart and they have to go elsewhere, and if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person you'll end up regretting it pretty fast."

Diana thought about things to ask when the image of Shawn trying to stare her down floated back into her mind. "What about those kids in the park? Do you know anything about them?"

Sharon made a face and scoffed. "Those hoodlums. They're Del's 'quiet' goons. When he needs things done quietly that the Honovi shouldn't be a part of he calls Shawn and his crew."

"What kinds of things?" asked Tori.

"Well for one, I'm pretty sure Del had them kill Ron. He was a drunkard and a son of a bitch sometimes, but he was a good father and he kept his kids well cared for. Now they're here by themselves trying to get along on their own. It's a shame."

Tori felt a sort of yearning in her chest, that feeling you get when you remember something funny that happened with a friend that had passed away years before and you wish to see them again. She could tell Sharon was being truthful in what she said and that she truly believed Del and the Honovi to be pretty bad people. A family came into the shop and Sharon smiled at them, telling them the same thing she'd told Tori and Diana when they came in.

"OK well we don't want to take up anymore of your time" said Tori. "Thanks for filling us in. If you want to chat sometime we're in four sixteen in the new building."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The girls left the store and headed towards the market Sharon had mentioned around the corner. They needed laundry and dish soap both, and a few other things like trash bags. The boys hadn't had a chance to get any of that stuff either so Tori decided she would get doubles of everything and they could pay her back later. As they walked she wondered in her head what they would be doing if they were still in Chicago and none of this had happened. Or even if they went to Alaska instead of stopping here. Would they have made it? What would have happened when they got there and Diana didn't have anyone to find? There were a lot of variables in their lives as they were, but she couldn't help but wonder what if.

The street they turned on was much busier than the one they had just left. The market seemed crowded, probably because it was a weekday and everyone was trying to get all of their shopping done before they had to go back to work. Parents and their children and couples with dogs lined the streets on both sides as they hustled and bustled to where it was they needed to be. The girls crossed the street and made their way towards the market but as soon as they were about to walk in a voice sounded from behind them, stopping Diana in her tracks.

"Hey honey, still got that iron grip?"

Diana spun around and stepped right up to Shawn's face, staring at him hard before dawning a beautiful smile. "Hi sweetie, are you still afraid of girls? Cause you sure as hell backed away from me and that other woman pretty quick." She looked down and noticed his broken arm was tied up. "And nice sling, pull a muscle in the bedroom?"

Shawn looked angry and clenched his hands into fists. He looked at his two gang members that stood a foot or so behind him and then back to Diana, his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth. "Circumstances are different when the fight ain't fair."

"Tell me about it" said Diana. "You're twice my size and there were five of you. How do you count that as fair?"

Tori realized who Shawn was and instantly became very protective. She stepped up next to Diana and eyed the two guys behind Shawn, letting them know if they tried to start a commotion that her and Diana wouldn't go down easily.

"I'm not too worried about it though," said Diana, "because you're right. It wasn't a fair fight, and even with the five of you you wouldn't be able to take me down."

"You and your little pack think you got it goin' on, huh?" asked Shawn. "Let me tell you this; you may have been the big dogs elsewhere, but not here. This is my town, not Del's. He may be the pretty business face with all the legal shit and the American hoorah whatever, but this is real. This right here."

"Do you really believe you're as tough as you act?"

Diana turned and grabbed Tori's arm, pulling her along into the store and away from Shawn and his friends. Tori caught one last look at them as they walked away quickly, looking around to see if anyone witnessed their confrontation. The store owner waved to them as they came in but they were both too strung out to notice. Diana positively seethed with anger and bad energy to the point it seemed she was almost vibrating. Tori could feel the uneasiness, but more importantly the fear that radiated from Diana's core. Tori took her hands and placed them on Diana's face, looking her in the eyes with a soft smile to try to calm her down.

"You did good out there. You should be proud of yourself."

"I am" said Diana. "I feel good about standing my ground, but I also feel like I'm egging them on by doing it. I don't want them to show up at our places or find us on the street because I can't keep my big mouth shut. I mean this town isn't all that big and we're bound to run into them again really soon."

"Don't worry about it" said Tori. "None of us would want you to back off from it and we all would have done that same thing in your position. We're in this together. If someone messes with you, they mess with all of us. As cliché as it sounds, it's one hundred percent true. I'll stand with you no matter what."

Diana searched Tori's eyes as she held her hands. They stood face to face at the side of the store feeling each other out emotionally. Tori leaned in and gave Diana a hug, pulling her in tight and not letting go. They held each other for what seemed like forever, eyes closed without a care in the world. Tori planted a kiss on Diana's neck, then another next to it.

"Is this real?" Diana whispered into Tori's shoulder.

"If it isn't I have no idea what is" said Tori.

They broke apart and Diana wiped tears from the corners of her eyes before they could fall. Tori brought their hands up to her mouth and kissed Diana's once before linking their fingers together. The moment stayed with them as they passed through the store, silently picking up the things they needed until they had to break their hold to free their hands. They got to the counter with two armfuls of items that ran a total of two blue chips, or twenty dollars. Each of them grabbed a bag and headed back out into the street with no real direction or purpose, just roaming around to see where their feet would take them.

Back at the apartment Marie woke up not long after Tori and Diana had left, throwing herself together quickly so she could head next door and be with Matthew. She hated leaving him the night before but he needed his rest and so did she if she planned on being of any use to him. Dom reminded her that he was going to need close care to make sure he didn't get an infection or that the wound didn't reopen so she would need to be sharp and in control. She brushed her teeth with haste and grabbed a biscuit before she headed over, going straight to Matthew's room and knocking on his door.

Dom came out of the bathroom freshly showered, toweling off his hair as Marie waited for an answer. After a minute with no answer Dom knocked again and cracked the door open, peeking in to see if he was still sleeping. The lights were off and he was still wrapped up in his blankets so Dom left the door open and waved Marie in, heading out into the living room himself. Marie walked in and closed the door quietly behind her before making her way over to his bedside. Matthew had sweated through his clothing and his sheets were a little damp, making Marie worry he would catch a cold. She touched his face gently and whispered to wake him up.

"Hey sleepyhead, I need you to sit up for me."

Matthew rolled over groggily and yawned into his pillow. "What for?"

"Your clothes are soaked and if you stay like this you'll get sick, and we can't have that. So up."

Marie helped him sit up and lifted his shirt over his head, tossing it into the corner where the rest of the dirty clothes were. She looked for his bag and grabbed a fresh shirt and some shorts and laid them on the bed. Matthew laid back and slipped his sweats off, tossing those into the corner as well as he accepted the shorts from Marie and put them on. She him his shirt and after he slid it over his head she pulled it down, leaning in to kiss him on the lips.

"I do declare, Mr. Beauregard! You are my hero!" Matthew chuckled and Marie slapped him on the arm.

"You're such a..."

"I know, I know" said Matthew, pulling the covers back up so he could get some more rest.

Dom sat out in the living room and was about to set up a game to play when the radio crackled to life and Del started speaking.

"Good morning residents of Wanagi! I am very proud to say that as I look over the reports from vendors and the field crews that we are doing phenomenally. This first year is going to be the hardest no doubt, but I have no fear that we will survive together as a big family. We are doing well with food and from what I see in the shopkeeper logs business is good, and that's what makes us happy. We want you all to feel right at home as you did before, shopping and socializing and having fun. Our situation may have changed but we don't have to give up the small things in life, and the Honovi don't want you to.

"Now to those of you who have been passing on the whisperings of travelers telling of violence not far south from us; yes, there has been a rise in militia activity that way, but I am confident that Wanagi will not fall victim to these barbarians. The Honovi are here to protect you and we will continue to do just that, from afar as always unless the situation calls for something different. We would ask that you refrain from passing on these stories, for all they do is create a stirrup. You are all safe here in our little town and there is no cause for alarm.

"We will be having a town festival of sorts this upcoming Friday. I've decided to announce it early so you may prepare in any way you need. We will congregate at the park around sundown and drink, dance and laugh away the stress of the work week. I will provide radios for the party so you can leave the ones you are listening to now where they are. For now I bid you a relaxed rest of the weekend and a safe work week ahead."

The radio fell silent and Dom continued setting up his game, chewing on the information in his head while he tried to see if any of it pieced together with what they already knew. He played a game of football and in the last minutes of the third quarter Tori and Diana came over after having dropped their stuff at the apartment. Tori placed the other bag for the guys on Dom's lap and sat on the other end of the couch.

"Trash bags, laundry and dish soap and a scrub brush" said Tori.

"Oh you are awesome" said Dom, looking through bag to check the stuff out.

"I know. We all have laundry to do and I imagine you've used some plates since we've been here."

"Yeah we have. How do we do laundry anyway? Old school it in the bathtub or is there a facility maybe?"

Tori shook her head. "I don't know. The clerk didn't say anything and I guess I forgot to ask."

Dom got up and put the dish soap and scrub brush in the kitchen next to the sink and the laundry soap underneath it in the cupboard. It seemed funny to be putting away household items again, even though it hadn't really been that long since he'd done so. It may have only been a week or so but to Dom it felt like an eternity. So many calculated decisions and worries of how to get what they needed really weighed on him each day. He worked tirelessly though, never letting anyone see his weakness. He needed to be a leader, someone strong that the rest of them could look to no matter what, and he would be that person no matter how hard he had to work at it.

Their dad had taught Dom from a young age that a good skillset and a level head would get you through any situation you could find yourself in. Prisoner of war, lost in the woods or broken down on the side of the road, if you knew the basics you would be able to help yourself and get what needed to be done accomplished. Dom took that mindset to heart; he always felt that he needed to protect Matthew and once their parents were gone he would have to look after him, he just never imagined it would be this soon.

Another day had gone by in their apocalyptic scenario and thankfully none of their group had fallen victim to the barbarism that human beings are capable of. Matthew didn't escape unscathed, but he was alive, and that's what counts. Dom knocked lightly on the door and poked his head in, smiling at Marie when she looked to see who it was. She sat on the edge of Matthew's bed, running her fingers over his arms while he slept. She looked at him so lovingly and protectively that Dom was almost jealous. It wasn't often that women crept into his thoughts, especially in the world they were currently living in, but when he saw the couples around him sometimes he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to come back to their apartment to the smiling face of some beautiful woman that cared about him. His dad had also thankfully taught him that those kinds of thoughts could throw a man off his game and likely get him killed, so he put them far from his mind and exited back into the living room.

"How was your shopping trip?" he asked.

"Good" said Tori. "Bought a couple shirts and the same stuff we got you for our place. Met a woman named Sharon that's a nifty little fountain of information."

"Oh yeah? What did she have to say?"

Tori adjusted her spot on the couch and leaned to the side. "Well she told us that there was militia activity here a couple weeks before we arrived, but apparently Del and his tribe scared them off without a fight."

"Interesting" said Dom. "Wonder how many people there were."

"She didn't say, but she also mentioned Ron, and I told her we were here for that. Then she said she thinks that Del had him killed."

"Really? Banishment seems like something they would do, sure, but murder? Who would do it?"

"According to Sharon, Shawn and his little gang are Del's wet work squad."

The wheels turned in Dom's head and he fought to pull some kind of answer out of all the mechanics. They had the business-shady Honovi, the street-shady Shawn and his gang and some reason for them to be working together. Shawn was definitely full of secrets but Del wasn't any different, talking a big game so he could cover up what was really going on. They were going to have to be careful around both groups until they could figure out what the dynamic was if they wanted to stay in town and be void of any drama.

"We also ran into Shawn again" said Diana. "He had something to say of course, but he looked a little less aggressive posture-wise with that sling on his arm."

Dom smirked. "I'm sure he's feeling pretty good right about now too."

"Diana was awesome," said Tori, "she told him off square to his face. She walked right up toe to toe and told him to step off. It was amazing."

Diana blushed and hid her face. "It wasn't that big of a deal, really. He was just trying to intimidate me and I told him I wasn't going to give him that power."

"Good for you" said Dom. "Show that prick who's boss and knock him down a peg or two."

Matthew's bedroom door opened and he and Marie stepped out, walking slowly to the couch while Matthew held his side. Diana and Tori both smiled at the sight of him up and walking around and the happy faces encouraged him. Diana moved and sat on Tori's lap so Matthew could have the corner spot and Marie could sit next to him, and Dom took a spot on the floor against the wall. They were all quiet for a little bit, wondering who was going to speak first.

"Well, I feel a little bit better today" said Matthew. "It doesn't burn as much as it did yesterday but I think that's just the painkillers talking."

"You're gonna be sore for a while" said Dom. He stood up from the wall and went into the kitchen to get Matthew some water. "The painkillers will make it sucks less and the antibiotics will hopefully keep you safe enough from infection but it's going to run your temp up a bit."

Matthew reached forward and accepted the water, taking a drink while Dom found his old spot. "I'm alright. I just know that work tomorrow is going to be terrible."

"You can't go to work," said Tori, "those horses will tear that thing right open."

"I can't not go either because they'll know I'm missing and probably send someone to see what's wrong with me. We can't let them find out about our little skirmish if we want to fly under the radar."

Marie got up to go to the bathroom with a soft kiss on Matthew's cheek as she stood. He smiled at her and when the bathroom door closed Tori and Diana both started giggling.

"So when did this little thing become a thing?" asked Diana.

"I guess it was coming for a while and this ordeal just made it official or something" said Matthew.

"Well you guys look cute together so don't screw it up, OK? I'm not going to be happy if I have to split my time between my two best friends." Tori pointed her finger at Matthew's nose.

"I thought I was your best friend" said Diana, making a pouty face.

"No, you're my girlfriend. That's a much higher position."

Tori realized they hadn't said that out loud yet and she was sure the surprise in her chest was painted beautifully on her face. Diana smiled so wide she couldn't contain it so she buried her face in Tori's neck. The boys both made mocking 'aww' faces with their hands over their hearts. Tori narrowed her eyes at them and stroked her fingers through Diana's hair. Marie came back from the bathroom and when she laid eyes on the scene she shook her head with a smile.

Tori's thoughts drifted off to her old life back in L.A. She remembered what it was like for her when she first realized that she had an attraction to girls. The feeling that something was wrong with her, that she was malfunctioning or something happened when she was born to make her think differently than normal people. She was so afraid that she was doing something bad that she kept it locked up tight inside for a long time, fearing people would run from her or tease her. There were gay couples around her and some on TV that she had noticed, and eventually she started to see that she wasn't alone, and what she felt was more normal than she could have imagined.

The first step was coming out to her parents. She got home from school on a Friday night and decided to cook a nice dinner. Steak and potatoes and side salads with dinner rolls and even a bottle of wine from the basement. Her parents came home and saw the elaborate setup and instantly put on their game faces, thinking that she was going to drop a bomb on them. They were right of course, but not on the content. David was worried that she was going to tell them she was pregnant and Holly expected to hear that she was dropping out of school to try and cut an album or something. With fears in tow everyone sat down at the table, wondering who was going to be right or wrong or who was going to be kicked out of the house.

It was funny to her now, thinking back on how scared she was to really tell her parents that she was gay. She shook and stammered and when she couldn't get it out, her dad came out and asked her if she was going to have a baby. Tori went from about to throw up to roaring with laughter in seconds, confusing both of her parents almost to the point of frustration. It really was ironic, her dad thinking she could be pregnant when she was about to tell them she liked women. When the news finally came out her parents were both very loving and understanding, instantly getting up from their seats to hug their daughter and reassure her that they accepted her for who she was no matter what.

Now things had changed so much. Her worries went from school work and coming out of the closet to rationing food and living on high alert twenty four seven. Some people liked to think they could relax in their new apartments and that the scary world outside wouldn't get them, but Dom taught the group that that mentality was what got people killed. They didn't have the luxury of relaxation anymore. They had to know and understand that the odds of any random person killing them for what they owned had skyrocketed with the conflict. Still, being heightened so much was taxing and the more stressed and tired you got the more you let your guard down.

"I've really been missing my family lately" said Tori. "Seeing families around here and with what just happened to Matthew, I just wish I could know they were OK."

Diana grabbed Tori's hand and linked their fingers together. "I'm sorry. It must be hard knowing they're out there somewhere and you can't get to them."

"It would be easier if I could at least talk to them somehow, but I don't think that's going to happen."

"We'll see what we can do once we figure out what's going on around here" said Dom. "I want you to be able to have your family in your life, and I think everyone else agrees with me when I say we'll do whatever we can to help."

"And that's why you guys are the best friends a girl could ask for."


	12. Digging Deeper

Matthew's first day back at work was one of the worst days of his life, having to bend and twist and carry things with the rip in his gut still healing. Several times when he tried to reign the horses in he could feel the newly reforming skin tear, causing blood to soak the fresh bandages Dom had helped him put on that morning. He wore a black shirt to make sure that if the blood soaked through it wouldn't be noticed by anyone in his detail. The good part was working in the barn meant he was out of the sun most of the time, which was a blessing since the painkillers in his system were raising his body temperature a bit, and with the manual labor on top of it being in the sun was just asking for heat stroke.

His second day back, a Wednesday, Matthew noticed something even more strange than the guard standing by the back door of the barn all day. Finally the door opened for the first time since they had gotten there, but what he saw didn't please him much. One of the members of Shawn's gang, Telly, came through from outside and talked to the guard for about two minutes. They talked quickly and in hushed voices, glancing around every few seconds to see if anyone was watching. The barn was empty aside from Matthew, who was in a horse stall and out of sight. He could see the two of them talking through a crack in the wood but they couldn't see him. Telly shook the guard's hand and exited through the door he came in while the guard fired up his radio, saying something in Honovi that Matthew didn't understand. He waited until the conversation was over before moving again, trying not to draw attention to himself.

When lunchtime came he hung back a bit, taking his time finishing up the left side of the barn stalls to see if maybe the guard would move to get some food. He did not. After five wasted minutes Matthew bailed and hurried to the truck to find Dom, who was sitting under a tree off to the side eating an apple.

"What's the word?" asked Dom.

"I saw one of the guys from Shawn's crew come in through that back door in the barn."

Dom perked up and stood so he could talk quieter. "Really? What did he do?"

"Nothing. He talked to the guard and then went back out."

"I wonder what that's all about. He- Shawn -said that we had no idea who he was and what he could-" Dom suddenly went quiet and put his hands on top of his head, smiling with tongue in cheek. "They're growing back there."

"Say what?" asked Matthew, finishing his orange and tossing the rind into the tall grass.

"Weed. They're growing it in the field behind the barn. Think about it," Dom pointed to the barn and talked excitedly, "how do they have stuff to smoke at the park? Where are they getting the alcohol and how can they afford it?"

"I don't know, what are you thinking?"

"Del has Shawn's gang growing weed and distributing it, then kicking back the profits to the Honovi. He gives them a cut, on top of what they make on work detail, so they have extra cash to pay scavengers to leave the town and go raid liquor stores and houses for whatever they want."

Matthew searched for the guard and found him once again in the same spot. He had brought in a chair and positioned it next to the door so he could sit down and take a break every once in a while without leaving the barn. It would make sense that they were growing marijuana with the way that door was guarded and how secretive he and Telly were being. Dom caught eyes with the detail leader who waved him over so he tapped Matthew on the chest, pointing him back to his spot.

"We'll talk more about this at home."

When the end of day horn sounded all of the field workers came back to home base, situated in front of the barn. Dom took his gloves off an stuffed them in his back waist as he walked toward the trucks to take them back to town. Matthew finished up feeding the horses for the night and went to lock up the large doors before he was stopped by the same guard that blocked the back door.

"We need those left open today."

"Oh, OK" said Matthew, stepping away towards the truck. "Just make sure the horses are OK before you lock up."

"Don't worry kid, I've worked with animals all my life. They'll be alright."

Matthew walked over to the truck and met Dom just as he was hopping onto the back. Dom looked up and noticed the doors to the barn were still open, something that hadn't happened since they started working there. He watched the guard walk back towards the right side of the barn and disappear next to it, wondering what was different about that day specifically.

They didn't dare speak about it on the truck on the way back to town, even though they sat in an open back and the wind provided good audible cover. The risk of being overheard talking about shady dealings with the tribe and being ostracized was greater than one of the workers siding with them in their theory and intent. They weren't even sure what their intent was. What would the information be good to them for, what could they do with it? Use it to blackmail Shawn into leaving them alone? Pressure Del into giving them whatever they wanted? The allure of being able to go and get whatever they wanted without being hindered was strong, but the use of blackmail wasn't something Dom wanted to get involved in.

Tori buzzed through lunch like a busy bee, restocking the cart when the rush was through. A truck had pulled up right after one o'clock and Tori helped guide it backwards to the stand. The truck contained apples, bananas, oranges, melons and some bread, which was meant for another stand. The driver got out and nodded to Tori as he brought down the tailgate.

"We're running low on fruit. We have probably one more truckload after this one and all of the surrounding areas will have been cleaned out."

"Well we'll just have to deal with that when it comes I guess" said Tori. "What are the stands going to do for product?"

"You'll probably get reassigned jobs until fall when the garden and field harvests come. This is the first year, it's gonna be rough for a few until we get a surplus." The man held a clipboard out in front of Tori and she signed saying she received the produce and then grabbed her own clipboard, marking down what all they had received and what they were short on. "I don't really understand it though. We had quite a bit not too long ago. Del even said we were looking great for the first year, but now we're down?"

"Maybe he underestimated how many people are here?"

"I don't know. But whatever the case, we both might be switching jobs soon."

It took about fifteen minutes to unload all of the produce from the back of the truck and get it situated so she could clear out the crates for the delivery man, a lot of bending and twisting that she wasn't used to from not having worked in a while. Once the crates were loaded back on the truck the man waved goodbye, hopping into the cab and speeding off. Tori looked over at Ralph, who was snoozing in his rocking chair, and wondered what he would do for reassignment. He wouldn't be able to do the physical labor jobs. Perhaps there was some kind of job he could do at the YMCA that would keep him paid and able to work. He coughed in his sleep and readjusted, opening his eyes a crack to watch Tori work.

"I know what you're thinking, but you don't have to worry about me. I don't have much longer in me anyway, kid."

"Why do you say that?" asked Tori.

"I can just feel it. In my bones. In my chest. When you get old you can just tell when your time is coming." He leaned over the side of the chair and grabbed his bottle, standing up to head inside. "I plan to deal with it head on myself. Never was one for taking the easy way out."

Tori admired the old man's spirit. She hoped that one day she would be his age and still kicking. At the same time Ralph made her miss her father. He was a strong, masculine guy but somehow managed to walk a fine line of softness and understanding. Tori ached to see her family, even Trina. Her sister wasn't always the easiest person but she loved her nonetheless, and with everything so uncertain the thought that any member of her family, or even all of them, could be dead already or die at any moment, really racked her nerves. Ralph seemed to pick up on his coworker's stress by the way she worked with such a stiff posture, chuckling to himself as he fished out another glass.

"Hey kid, come in here" said Ralph.

Tori finished the box she was working on and tossed it aside, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "What's up?"

"Have a drink with me." He slid the small glass of whiskey down the line and Tori cradled it in her hand, picking it up and smelling it.

"Strong."

Ralph held his glass up and looked Tori straight in the eye. "You remind me a lot of my daughter. She looked just like you when she was your age. Spunky, full of love and life." He looked at his own drink for a minute then set it down on the table and drew a deep breath. "I was born in 1944, and 1962 I was fighting in Vietnam. By the time I came back for good my little girl was almost eleven years old. She didn't really know me since I was gone most of the time, but she wasn't bitter." He laughed and looked down into his glass as he swirled the liquid around. "No, I don't think she could be bitter if she wanted to. But I know it hurt her to not have me around. It killed me every time I came home and left again, seeing her standing there with her mama waving me and the other men off. I tried to keep good memories of her in my heart when I was overseas but the things you see in war..." He trailed off for a second and downed his glass, pausing before refilling it. "You can't just come back home and pretend everything is OK after you experience something like that." His voice shook as he spoke but he covered it up by clearing his throat and pouring another drink.

"What happened to your family?" asked Tori, finally downing her glass in one. She blew out a breath to take the bite out of the drink.

It took him a minute to answer, and when he did his voice was quiet and he spoke slowly. "They didn't have a life with me anymore," said Ralph, "I had to let them go."

In that moment Tori saw forty years of painful regret surface in Ralph's eyes. She felt a caving feeling in her stomach like she was going to throw up and her eyes burned with tears. It was amazing to her how much people could really keep bottled up without ever showing it. He downed his glass once more and looked out the window. At the end of it all Ralph was unraveling just the tiniest bit but he didn't want anyone to see it, so Tori pretended like she didn't notice and reached her arm forward for another drink. Ralph smiled at her and poured another for each of them.

"You better slow down there chief or you won't make it home again" said Tori.

"Don't worry about me doll face, I'll be just fine."

Matthew and Dom saw Tori at the stand as they got off the truck from the fields. She hadn't left work yet so they decided to head on over and see if she needed any help finishing up. The rest of the field crew split off into different directions, some heading home and some heading towards the shops.

"Hey guys" said Tori as the boys approached. "Good day?"

"Always," said Dom, "I love working outside."

"You love working period" said Matthew.

"Yeah well someone has to get things done, might as well revel in it instead of making yourself miserable."

"Smart kid" said Ralph, tapping him on the shoulder as he passed by. "You kids have a good afternoon. Tori, be good, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Tori and the boys headed back to the apartment complex to find Marie and Diana were already there. Marie instantly clung to Matthew in a hug and snuggled into his neck, earning a chuckle from everyone else. Matthew made a face and pulled her in close, relishing in her softness and warmth and the smell of her hair. Dom ushered everyone into the living room of the boys' place and got right down to business.

"Sorry to break up your little moment but we need to talk about what happened today."

Tori and the girls took the couch while Matthew and Dom sat on the floor. Tori leaned into Diana's side and Diana draped her arm over Tori's shoulder so they could both get comfortable.

"We think they're growing weed behind the barn at the fields" said Matthew. "They guard the area way too well for it to just be about protecting the food, and I saw one of Shawn's gang talking to a guard today."

"OK," said Tori, "what does that mean for us?"

"If they're growing weed and have people like Shawn and his goons pushing it in town, I guarantee there's some other stuff going down." Dom waved his index finger in the air. "You guys remember Ron?"

"Yeah," said Matthew, "what about him?"

"He was yelling about this place, saying we shouldn't trust the Honovi and that the people here are being used. I think he was onto something and they disappeared him."

"Before we get ahead of ourselves we need to go scope out the farm and see what's going on" said Matthew. "Right before it gets dark we head out there so we can watch what happens."

"How do you propose we do that?" asked Dom.

"We take Tori's car. There was a couple dozen in the parking lot before hers got there so I'm pretty positive it hasn't been drained for the work trucks yet."

"Sounds like a plan. Now we need you three to stay in town here to keep up appearances." Dom pointed to the girls in a sweeping motion. "If anyone asks where we are, say we went for a run or something."

"OK then," said Tori, "but if you get shot in the ass or something out there I'm not helping you get dressed."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Dom winked and Tori laughed loudly, burying her face in Diana's hoodie.

Tori noticed that she was lying up against Diana, who was playing with her hair, and Marie was sitting behind Matthew with her legs on either side of him and her arms around his waist, yet Dom was shuffled off to the side a bit by himself. She was suddenly stricken with sadness that they all had someone to take comfort in, to experience life with and come home to, but Dom was the odd man out. He sat and watched the screen as he and Matthew played their game to pass the time, smiling and laughing along with the events of the story and Tori couldn't see any bit of loneliness in him. Although, they say the loneliest people are the best at hiding it.

When the game was over Dom got up and headed into his room to get ready for the night. He strapped a combat belt around his waist that held a multitude of different pockets and compartments. A few for ammo clips and repair tools, a slot for a flashlight and a holster piece for a sidearm. He clipped his radio to the COM slot on the left and fished his slim flashlight out of his bag and slipped that into place as well. Once everything seemed to be in place he checked over his gear and started forming a plan in his head of what they would do with possible escape scenarios and a way to talk themselves out of trouble if they got caught.

The plan was to drive out towards the fields and ghost ride, which was driving with the headlights off, up as close to the barn as they could without being heard or seen. The next step was to slither silently through the tall grass up to the back of the barn to a close enough distance that they would be able to hear any conversations going on but be far enough away that people standing casually wouldn't spot them. Once they got close enough they would listen in for as long as they could and watch what happened, taking mental notes of who was there and what they did. Then they would slither back to the car and wait for everyone to pass by before heading back into town themselves.

Dom sat on the edge of his bed and looked out the window as the sun gave signs of starting to drop in the sky. The buildings further out from the town line looked smaller and smaller as they got closer to the horizon, and he realized that the city itself wasn't really all that big. It wouldn't take long to pick the surrounding areas clean to sustain even their little town of a couple hundred people, and the town had been working for roughly two weeks before they had ever arrived. Factor in all of the people from around the area that would be scavenging for themselves, and you have an equation in which the true answer didn't match what was happening. Dom heard laughter from out in the living room and it made him smile. He didn't have anyone of his own to come back to everyday, but that wasn't what he needed. He had his family, and they were the ones that kept him together.

When the time was ready Dom emerged into the living room ready to go. He donned a black outfit with his combat belt stacked with gear and comfortable boots that were durable yet easy to run in. Matthew came out of his room moments later with a nearly identical outfit, the only difference being his shirt was a dark green instead of black. The girls stood up and everyone exchanged hugs and good luck wishes, with Marie giving Matthew a kiss on the cheek. He burned a little red and the other girls laughed but there was no time for teasing. Dom set up a watch sync and after that they were off into the night.

They reached City Hall without encountering anyone else since it was a weeknight. The guards were inside and the parking lot was clear so they moved forward, finding the car and getting in within a few minutes. Dom looked around the dash with his flashlight to learn where the light switch was, then he started the engine and turned the lights off immediately, looking around to see if anyone saw the flash. He let the car run for a minute to see if maybe the noise had alerted the guards, but no one came out so he crept forward slowly to the edge of the lot, looking both ways out of habit before heading out towards the fields.

When they were within a few miles of the barn Dom switched the lights off again and they ghost rode the last stretch by light of the sunset. Just as the barn came into view he pulled the car off the road into the field, driving it out a bit so it wouldn't be glossed over by headlights and reflect. Matthew got out first and surveyed the area, waving Dom forward when the coast was clear. They sneaked as quietly as possible to a position about fifteen yards from the back door of the barn that Matthew's guard friend was so intent on keeping safe. It took a little while but eventually a few people emerged from the field and headed towards the door, knocking twice very concisely. The same guard opened the door and stepped out.

"What's it looking like out there?"

"Plants have started off good, if they stay this way we should have a good harvest."

Matthew and Dom both recognized Telly from Shawn's gang as the one that answered the guard. Dom figured he and some of the other guys must be the messengers between Shawn and the Honovi.

"You better hope so, for your sake" said the guard.

"Why can't we meet this boss? If he's such a hard ass and my life depends on giving him good crop I at least wanna meet the guy that's gonna snuff me out should things go sideways." Telly looked upset but the guard just chuckled at him.

"You don't get to meet the boss for the same reason that I don't get to meet the boss; we don't need to. Your business isn't with him, it's with me, and my business is with Del."

Matthew and Dom exchanged confused looks in the dark. Boss? Surely they didn't mean Del, since they both knew who he was and had talked to him on many occasions. But if not Del, then who was it? The thought that Del was working for someone higher up hadn't even occurred to anyone in the group, but it seemed to be a real possibility with the way these two were talking. Matthew scooted a foot or two to the left to try and see if he could get a look at the other guys' faces.

"Well I have sick plants that need to be tended so let's get this done, John" said Telly.

The guard, who's name was apparently John, propped the door open and walked over to where Telly and the other guys had come from, and they each came back with potted plants in their arms. They made two trips each and loaded up a truck that was backed up to the barn, letting the door shut behind them as they went in. Matthew and Dom skirted around to the front side of the barn to the area they usually talked during lunch. Telly closed the tailgate and he and the others piled into the truck and backed out slowly, obviously trying not to tip over the plants in the bed. Once they hit the road John locked up the barn and followed not far behind them.

"What the hell was that?" asked Matthew, standing up and stretching out his legs.

"Well obviously there's someone else at play here. Del is only second in command, or he might not even be that high. What we do know is that this just got a lot more complicated and we need to get out of here before we get caught."

"I hope we can get the car back without getting busted."

"Wanna practice some hand to hand combat before we go, just in case?" Dom laughed and tapped Matthew on the cheek in a mock slapbox move but Matthew shook him off with a grin.

"I can kick your ass anytime, right now we need to move."

They backtracked to the car and got in, driving back slowly in hopes to not draw any attention. Dom tried to remember the shortest route possible back to City Hall that circumvented any residential routes since he didn't want anyone to see them, especially because it was too dark to drive without the lights. The best he could do was round a corner in front of their building for a brief second, shining lights into the lower floor's windows. Dom slowed down as they neared the parking lot and Matthew hopped out, running ahead a ways to see if he could spot anyone outside of the building. He didn't see anyone and waved Dom forward to the spot they'd taken the car from. No one came outside so they scurried from the area as quickly as possible.

Inside they found Marie playing some stick figure game on the Xbox while Tori and Diana laid on the couch and watched. As soon as the boys entered they sat up and Marie shut off the game, all anxious to hear what happened on their little trip.

"So what's the news?" Diana asked.

"They're definitely growing weed, but that's not the worst part. There's another boss above Del, and apparently no one has any clue who it is."

The group sat in silence and pondered the their recent revelation. Supposedly Del was working under someone, but who, and for what? They all pictured some creepy shadow figure lurking in the alleyways watching their every move. For some reason none of them were really all that surprised that their town's beloved Mayor was working for some assumed-to-be shady guy that was yet to be identified. Tori could feel it in her gut the minute they started speaking to him that he wasn't genuine, and the proof was starting to come forward piece by piece.

"If Del is answering to someone else he must have something the bigger boss wants," said Matthew, "or else there would be no reason to have him on the payroll."

"Yeah, but what?" asked Dom. "Yeah we have a ton of food but there's a lot of us here, and we can't afford to be giving it away."

"Wait a minute," said Tori, "who said we have a ton of food?"

"We've seen it" said Dom. "We work out at the fields. A lot of times we see trucks coming into town from areas beyond the town line filled with stuff."

Tori thought about her conversation with the delivery man at her produce stand. "When I got my last delivery the guy told me that there would only be one more and then we would be out. Why would he tell me that if we have a ton?"

"What do we have?" asked Dom. "I was thinking about this earlier. Del and the tribe are sneaky, there's no doubting that. Shawn and his crew, they're sneaky but also dangerous. Del is saying one thing to the people that doesn't really ring true with reality. Tori's new evidence backs that up. They're growing weed, and on top of all of it, there's someone else at the helm that Del answers to, but no one knows who it is."

"It's like a puzzle" said Matthew. "We have some of the pieces and can maybe try putting part of the border together, but we can't really get any of the meat of it done since we're missing pieces and the box is upside down."

Dom smiled and ruffled his brother's hair. "You're a smart kid you know that?"

"Yeah I do, thanks."

"If you were as humble as you are smart you might be the next Carl Sagan."

The group rested for the remainder of the night. Dom started the movie over that he had been watching so everyone could see it, and when it was over they split to their own areas and went to bed. Dom waved to the girls as they headed out then went into his room and shut the door behind him. There were a lot of things going through his mind, none of which made him rest easy. Militia activity close to them. A boss above Del that no one knows. Secret drug farms and disappearing food. A lot of questions with no answers and a lot of potentially dangerous situations, and with the festival coming up, the next few days were going to be interesting to say the least.


	13. The Thick Of It

Dom had stayed up most of the night coming up with a plan of action for everyone in the group. He decided that each person would be tasked with keeping tabs on different people, from a distance of course. He wanted them to see if they could see or hear anything that might help them put the pieces together and figure out what Del was up to. Tori was going to take Del himself, since she planned on going in and asking him about the food shortage. Dom would take Shawn and his gang since he figured he would be the safest in defending himself against them in case something went wrong. Matthew was taking John, the guard that stood by the back door of the barn at work. Diana decided she would try Cora, Sarah's older sister, to see if maybe she knew anything from the streets, and Marie would go talk to Sharon. Dom thought maybe they could use the festival as cover to come together and work some leads they got from their investigations, but they only had two days to get their stuff together.

Thursday morning started the same as always. Everyone got up and got ready for work, except instead of going about the routine in a robotic fashion they all seemed to be sparked up a bit, probably from the adrenaline of playing super spies. The girls met the boys by the door outside of the building and they walked to the central part of town together where they said they're goodbyes. Tori headed for the stand, Matthew and Dom hopped onto the trucks and Marie and Diana marched off to their cleanup crews.

**Matthew**

When the trucks stopped at the fields everyone hopped off and headed to their areas as usual. John was already in his spot in the back of the barn, tipped back in a chair against the wall with a bottle of water in his hand and his gun across his lap. Matthew waved to him and he waved back. The horses were pretty tame since it was still early, so Matthew had no problem getting them out into the fenced off area they had to run around in. When he came back from the meadow John was still in the same spot and it looked like he hadn't moved, and he was pretty sure no one had come in while he was gone.

The first few hours went by and nothing happened. Everyone worked as normal and John held his post like a semi-fluid statue. It wasn't until lunch that anything interesting happened, and Matthew was too far away to get anything from it. On his way to the lunch truck to meet Dom John answered his radio, speaking into it with his back turned to the barn opening for close to thirty seconds before replacing it and sitting back down. Matthew couldn't hear anything he said and he was still too far away to judge his facial reaction.

"Anything yet?" asked Dom.

"Nah. He's been pretty stationary all day."

"Is that not normal?"

"Well it's not not normal, if you know what I meant. I saw him use his radio on my way up here but I was too far away to get anything from it."

"That's alright." Dom took a bite of two pieces of bread stacked together with nothing in between them. "We'll see what the rest of us can come up with and go from there."

Matthew listened in the best he could for any conversations from John for the rest of the day but truth was it was pretty radio silent. He hung around inside the barn as much as possible without making it look like he was doing it on purpose, and John stayed in pretty much the same position the whole day. When the horn blew for end of day Matthew made sure the horses were set up and headed back to the truck with his head down, a little upset that he wasn't able to get any information. Dom patted him on the back and nodded some encouragement as they rode back to town.

**Dom**

Once they were back in town Matthew headed up to the apartment and Dom split towards the park, hoping he could find a way around to the other side where the fence blocked edge of the park from the buildings next to it. Shawn and his gang usually hung out in the corner spot and Dom figured if he could manage to stay inconspicuous he could listen in on their conversations. He took a left at the corner when Diana had went straight and made his way around, hanging a tight right at the next corner. He stayed close up to the fence and crouched along, making his way into earshot of the group. After about ten minutes of listening he realized that not all of them were there, only two of the guys and one of the girls. He looked around in worry hoping that none of them were coming towards the park from a direction he could see them, and suddenly he realized his mistake in not planning his moves more carefully.

"Where'd you get that bag at?" one of the guys asked.

"I pinched it from Shawn's room when I was over there last night" said the girl.

"If he finds out you're stealin' his shit he's gonna be mad."

"Nah, he's alright. Besides, he takes from me, so why can't I take from him?"

"What does he take from y-," the man paused for a second, "oh. Yeah, nevermind."

That piece of the conversation was interesting to Dom. If Shawn was seeing one of those girls they might be able to use that as leverage against him in the future. Dom stood up slowly and as quietly as possible, peeking over the fence to get a look at the girl. When he saw her he realized she was the same one that was standing next to him the first time he saw the group. As he thought over the information he heard a yell from the other side of the fence and more footsteps coming towards him.

"Damn Bekkah you pinchin' my stash again?"

"Just a little bit baby. I gotta do something when you aren't here."

"Speaking of which where were you?" asked the same guy from earlier.

"I had to make a phone call, that's all you need to know."

"Was it that same stuff about the festival?"

There was a smacking sound and an 'ow' with some laughter from Bekkah. "Keep your mouth shut fool."

Shawn was sneaking off making secret phone calls that the rest of his crew didn't know about, and mentioning the festival was apparently a giveaway to something. Dom noted each thing down mentally as it came to him, stepping carefully away from the fence so he could get out of the area before someone noticed him. He got to the corner and crossed the street when a voice called out to him to stop. There were no visible people around him but he stopped anyway, since it was very possible that someone had a gun trained on him from a window.

"Turn right."

Dom did as he was told and after a second he noticed an older woman sitting on the porch of a mostly destroyed house. These houses near the park weren't being used since they had taken a lot of damage and the cleanup crews hadn't gotten to them yet. The construction crews had been working a little ways down the road to repair some of the roof damage but they hadn't gotten down to this side yet. Dom walked across the other street and down the way to the woman's porch, looking behind him to the park to see if Shawn or anyone in his crew could see him.

The woman was most likely in her forties with shoulder length hair and a thin face. She wore a gray long sleeved shirt and jeans with black shoes. Dom looked around her at the house and eyed a twelve gauge shotgun lying on the porch next to her chair.

"Spying like that will get you in trouble someday, kid."

"I'm pretty confident in my skillset. Who are you?"

"Connie. You?"

"Dom."

"Well Dom, why are you spying on Shawn and his boyfriends? They do something to you?"

Dom laughed at the comment but when he remembered his expression went blank. "They tried to hurt a friend of mine."

"Ah. I take it that's how he got the sling?" Connie pulled a cigarette out from behind her ear that was previously hidden by her hair and lit it.

"That was a gift from me, yes."

"Well I can tell you one thing, those kids aren't half as tough as the image they put up, but they're being back by someone who is."

"Why do you say that?" asked Dom.

"I see Shawn leaving by himself a lot, sometimes not coming back for an entire afternoon. They have things no one else has, an attitude that would knock out a football team and will use any excuse they can to flex their muscles."

"And if something did happen they would be able to call big brother or find a way to handle it themselves and big brother would clean it up for them." Dom nodded, slightly annoyed at their childishness.

"Exactly. I know they're mixed up in somethin', just not sure what. I can see that you're trying to find out, though. If you do let me know."

"Sure thing, Connie. Thanks for the info."

"Stay safe and don't let it go to waste."

Dom watched over his shoulder as he headed back toward the apartment complex. Another piece of the puzzle down, but unfortunately it looked really similar to some they already had.

**Marie**

The girls told Marie about Sharon and where to find her, so she headed towards the store as soon as work detail let out, hoping to catch her before she left. About a block away she ran into a woman that looked like the description that Diana and Tori had given her so she decided to check her luck.

"Sharon?"

Sharon stopped in her tracks and looked toward the voice. "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Marie, I'm friends with Tori and Diana, the two girls that came into your shop last Sunday."

"Oh! Hello dear, what can I do for you?" asked Sharon.

"Well we're all trying to talk to some people and get more information on the town you know, since we're thinking of documenting all of it and chronicling the rise of Wanagi out of the ashes of the conflict." Marie hoped that he excuse didn't seem too forced or see-thru.

"Well of course then, follow me."

Marie tagged along with Sharon until they got to her place in the old building. She seemed to live by herself since there wasn't very much stuff inside and there were no indicators that a man stayed in the place. There was one chair in the living room next to a coffee table that was filled with books. A few pictures hung on the walls of what Marie guessed were family members, but she wasn't entirely sure if they belonged to Sharon or if they were still up from the people that had lived here before.

"Are those your family pictures or were they here from the people before?" asked Marie.

"Those are mine. This is my place, always has been. I didn't leave during the riots, I just decided to bunker down in here and wait it out."

"Good call I guess."

"Yeah it did work out in my favor. Now what is it you want to know?"

"Anything" said Marie. "When we got here we had only known about the conflict for a week, but we learned from Ralph that it had been going on for at least three, so we missed the beginning."

"Oh, well then" said Sharon, bringing cups for tea and some crackers into the living room. "I heard about the crash the day after it happened."

"Crash?" asked Marie.

"The market, how this all started. It bottomed out and everyone lost their money. The people were going crazy in the streets demanding that the government do something. Bank execs and Wall Street big wigs were fleeing the country as quickly as they could. That was when it really started to be honest, the big wigs leaving. People decided that if they were literally skipping the country that something must be terribly wrong, and immediately it was like we were all barbarians again."

Sharon stared down at the floor, searching her memories of what she'd seen. "The first few days weren't too bad. News reports kept the video to a minimum and they tried to show more positive things instead of focusing on the riots. Government issues orders, of course. But after the first weekend we lost all broadcasting capability over here."

"So people realized they didn't have any money anymore and just went nuts?" asked Marie.

"Pretty much sweetheart. When you work your whole life and save up money when you can, thinking you'll be able to invest in something here and there to make your money make money and get you out on top a bit, and then the whole thing bottoms out and you lose everything you've worked for? That's going to make some people see red."

"I bet. I can imagine I'd be pretty upset if that happened to me, but I don't think I could go out and join the riots like we saw on TV in Chicago."

"Believe me they were much worse in person than you saw on TV. It's all about pack mentality. One person decides they're going to just go into the nearest store and take whatever they want since their livelihood was gone and they had nothing to lose anyway. Then another person sees them do it and thinks, 'well, if he can do it, so can I.' and eventually it snowballs."

"What were the riots like out here?"

"Something I'd like to forget."

Sharon got up and went out into the kitchen as the teapot started screeching. Marie wondered if she'd struck a nerve and went into an area that Sharon didn't want to talk about, worried that maybe she would bottle up. A few minutes went by and Marie chewed on her thumbnail for something to do, her nerves getting the best of her. Sharon reentered with the teapot and a small bowl of sugar cubes, placing the cubes on the table before pouring a cup for each of them.

"During the second week I went outside one day to see what was going on. I'd been in here for almost 9 days straight, tucked away from the violence hoping that if they didn't know I was here they would leave me alone. Worked, too. After a while I was going a little stir crazy so I went out to get some fresh air. Seemed to be OK at first, aside from some charred vehicles and the remains of the houses around the corner that had been either burnt down or blown up. I was going to walk to the store and get a few things that I was running low on when I saw a woman with a gun pull another woman out of a car and demand everything she had. The man got out and tried to calm the other woman down but as soon as he stepped towards her she shot him square in the chest. Killed him almost instantly."

"Holy crap," said Marie, "what happened to the woman?"

"When the woman with the gun found out she didn't have anything to give her, she killed her too. And that was when I really realized that we'd gone to a place we couldn't come back from."

"How did you escape from that?"

"I was by the corner when it happened. She hadn't seen me and when she shot the man I backtracked and went home."

"That's crazy. So from there how did Wanagi get started?"

Sharon sipped her tea and smiled. "Well, I watched out the window quite a bit during the day to see what was going on. Into the third week I hadn't heard any noises for a few days. No gunshots, no explosions or anything, so I figured the fighting had died down. I was looking out one day and I saw Del and a group of others walking around, pointing at buildings and talking. Making sweeping motions with their hands at the burned cars on the side of the road. I didn't know then but they were making the original plans to start the town.

"I also didn't know that at that time he had had his radio broadcast going for about a week. I started seeing more and more people pouring into town and walking the streets freely, so I decided I'd give it another shot and headed out myself. Went out, talked to a few people and they told me about the 'man on the radio' that promised them a new start. That same night Del called everyone that had arrived together and told us his grand plan to get the town jump started, and then he went to work planning the work details and all of that. A couple days later we started working and everything fell into place from there."

Marie mulled over the information and tried to situate the pieces correctly into her timeline. Apparently nothing really obvious had happened on the outside that she would be able to get from Sharon, but she did appreciate the background to their current situation.

"What do you think is in the future for this place?" Marie finished her tea and set it down on the table.

"Hopefully it'll keep growing and producing enough to sustain what we have so far. Everyone's come a long way to where we are now, it would be a shame to see it go."

"Well I gotta get going, but thank you for the tea and the stories. It was really nice to get a feel for what's happened here and actually sit down and have a normal conversation with someone not in my group." Marie laughed and stood up, heading for the door.

"Come back anytime."

**Diana**

When Diana's crew finished cleaning out the last house on the left side of the street they were working on the director called it a day, blowing the horn same as the field director to announce to everyone that they were free to go. Diana asked someone what the fastest way to get to the YMCA was from where they were and the girl pointed straight ahead at the side street they were cornered to. A quick walk of about five minutes and the building was in site, giving Diana the jitters. She was a good leader and headstrong when it called for it but that didn't mean she never got nervous.

Inside the Y Sarah was in the same room as before, playing with the little kids as their parents came one by one to pick them up. She waved at Diana when she was in sight and helped a little boy put his shoes on since his father had arrived. The boy stood up and ran to his dad, jumping up into his arms and giggling. Sarah watched with a smile and her good nature made Diana like her even more.

"Hey Sarah, do you know where your sister is?"

"Yeah, Cora's in the teen room down the hall. Do you need her?"

"I just need to talk to her for a bit, nothing big" said Diana. "I'll come see you on my way back out, OK?"

"OK, sounds good to me."

Diana made her way down the hall into the teen room she had passed before. A few kids hung out playing billiards while Cora sat on the counter in the corner with a nail file. The room looked bigger somehow in the daytime. The walls were tinted a sort of yellowish color, making Diana think that maybe the kids smoked in there when no one was looking. One of the kids at the billiards table saw Diana and looked over to Cora with a nod of his head. She looked up when Diana walked in and jumped down to greet her.

"Hey there, what's up?"

"Not much" said Diana. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately? Or do you have to be in here?"

"We can go to the old screening room, follow me."

They took two hallways and finally ended up in a small screening room that looked like it was from the fifties. The screen was maybe half the size of a regular theater screen and it was square instead of rectangular. The room was very dark since there were no lights except those of the hallway ceiling and with dark red and black materials it was difficult to see. Cora took a seat next to the door where there was still some light and Diana sat across the aisle from her.

"So my friends and I were just going around today to talk to some of the people in town and get a feel for what the place is really like. I mean Del has his little radio broadcast that preaches a better America and whatnot, but we wanted to talk to the people that live here and know the place to really get a feel for what's up."

"You mean you want dirt?" asked Cora. She smiled with a condescending eyebrow raise.

"Basically yeah" said Diana.

"Well I don't really have much to tell you. I'm sure you've heard about the big things that have happened like the militia coming to town and the drunk guy they dragged away, right?"

"Ron was his name, wasn't it?" asked Diana.

"Yeah. He was Sarah's father. I still feel terrible that she doesn't have her family anymore at such a young age."

Diana was floored at the news. "Really? I had no idea. She also said you two are sisters, how does that work?"

"When her father got dragged away and never came back her mom lost it. She got really paranoid and thought they were going to come for her too and she ended up running away. Just left Sarah one day when she was working cleaning detail and took off, hasn't come back. I brought her home with me and basically adopted her, so we're sisters now."

"Who all is at your place?" asked Diana.

"My mom, Sarah and I" said Cora.

"Sorry if this is too many questions or too personal, I'm just trying to learn about the people here you know."

"Yeah I hear you. What about you and your group? How did you come together?"

"My girlfriend Tori and Matthew both worked together at a record store in Chicago. Marie is her best friend, and Dom is Matthew's brother. I stopped into the store one day and Tori asked me if I wanted to hang out sometime and we just clicked. A few days later we were in a car explosion on our way out of town and now we're here."

Cora's eyebrows raked her hairline. "That's insane. Glad you made it out okay, though."

"Thanks. Really my main reason for coming to you is because we're around the same age and everything and I just figured you might be able to tell me something about Shawn and his group."

Cora's face went blank and she stared down at the floor without speaking. Diana noticed the change in her demeanor and wondered what had happened with them in the past to make her change like that so fast, and she thought of the worst. He and his little lapdogs had tried to attack her, so why not Cora? She was every inch as beautiful and an easy target living so close.

"I knew Shawn before the conflict. We went to high school together in Denver, and for a little while at the end of senior year we dated."

Diana couldn't believe what she had heard. "Wow, so it's pretty crazy that you both ended up here, huh?"

"Not as crazy as you think. I ran into him when things started to get bad in the city and I was on my way out with my mom. He tried to get me to go with him instead down towards Texas but I said no, and he got really frustrated. He kept trying to tell me he was sorry treating me the way he did when we were together and that if I went with him he would keep me safe but I kept telling him no, and when he realized that I wasn't going to go with him he decided to follow me here."

"I'm not surprised by that. Did he ever hurt you?"

"He grabbed my by the back of hair one time and shook me really hard when he thought I wasn't listening to him, and after that I bailed. He tried to get me back so many times but I blew him off constantly, and after a while he just stopped."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that"said Diana.

"Thanks. He was in with some bad people down there right before I left and he followed me. I don't know what he was doing but the guys I saw him talking to when we ran into each other that day looked pretty serious."

Diana checked her watch and realized it was starting to get late. "I appreciate you talking to me and trusting me with your story, I think that's really cool."

"Well you can't have too many friends in this town, especially people our age" said Cora.

"And speaking of, I know a guy that happens to be single and I think you would be perfect for him."

Cora blushed and laughed quietly. "A boyfriend? That's just what I need is Shawn seeing me walking down the road hand in hand with some other guy."

"He's not as tough as you think. I gotta go but maybe after the festival you can come over to my place and hang out with us? The boys scavenged a TV and an Xbox for some entertainment."

Cora looked happy at the last part. "I used to love playing video games, that sounds great. Find me at the festival and we'll work it out."

They both stood up and headed back to the room Sarah was in. She was in the middle of changing a diaper and Diana didn't want to bother her so she just waved goodbye. Outside the air was warm and still latticed with smoke from things that had burnt during the riots. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, heading back to the apartment to give her news to the group.

**Tori**

Del was usually in the City Hall building so that's where Tori decided she would look for him. She walked up through the parking lot and into the double doors, greeting both of the guards on the bottom floor.

"I need to see Del about something. It's important."

"I'm sorry miss but he's not in the building at the moment."

Tori looked between each guard to see if she could read any feelings from them. "Well where is he? This is serious."

"He's out. If it's very serious you can tell me and I can contact him on the radio."

"I need to talk to him directly" said Tori. "When will he be back?"

The guard shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. He didn't say where he was going or how long he would be gone."

"And that doesn't seem odd to you?" asked Tori. "He's the Mayor of this town that's at a crucial point in the middle of a country-wide conflict, and he just disappears somewhere for who knows how long?"

"It's not my job to track his movements" said the guard. "He has this town's best interest at heart, and I know that whatever he's doing is to benefit the people. But now you must go. I will tell him you came and to find you immediately when he gets back."

"You do that" said Tori, making her way back outside.

As the sun started to drop in the sky the group all met back at the boys' apartment. They showed up one by one and hung out playing video games until at last Diana was the final member to come in. Dom turned the Xbox and TV off and got up to grab some waters from the fridge, tossing one to each person. Marie was tending Matthew's wound to make sure it was still clean and wasn't pussing or tearing so they took up most of the couch. Tori motioned Dom to sit on the end cap and she and Diana sat next to each other on the floor against the wall.

"So what did everyone find out? Matthew, how about you first" said Dom.

"Well I didn't find out much. John's a pretty tight-lipped guy. He doesn't move around a lot while we're there and I only saw him talk on his radio once, but I was too far away to get any of it."

"Alright, no worries. Marie?"

"I talked to Sharon for a little while. We had tea and she told me how this place started. Did you know she was actually here before the conflict?"

"No I didn't," said Tori, "that's cool."

"Yeah. She saw some pretty horrible things in the beginning but once the town started to come together she said it got better. Nothing about Del or any of the tribe members or anything, though. I guess she wasn't in the position to find anything out that we could use."

"Well a little back story is better than nothing" said Dom. "You'll have to fill us in on it later. Diana?"

"I talked to Cora for a little while, she's a really cool person. It turns out Sarah, the girl I met on work detail, is the daughter of that Ron guy."

"Really?" asked Dom. "Interesting. What happened to her mom?"

"She bailed when her husband never came back. According to Cora she got paranoid they were going to take her too so she left and just left Sarah here."

"That's awful," said Tori, "who does that?"

"I don't know, but the most interesting part was that she knew Shawn before the conflict."

Everyone snapped to attention at that little detail and Diana continued with renewed energy. "They lived in Denver and went to high school together, even dated for a little while senior year. But I guess he treated her like crap, surprise, and she dumped him."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to force her to stay" said Marie.

"She blew him off and eventually he went on to some other girl but they ran into each other when the city started to fall. She said he was talking to some really serious looking people, shady to the max, and when she declined to go with him he followed her here."

"That's odd since I found out earlier from listening by the park that Shawn is sleeping with Bekkah."

"Good, hopefully he'll continue to leave Cora alone. What else did you find out?" asked Diana.

"I talked to a woman named Connie that lives in one of the ripped up houses by the park. She said that Shawn sneaks off by himself sometimes, making phone calls, and doesn't come back for the whole day. I'm starting to think that maybe Shawn is involved with some stuff that the rest of his group don't know about."

Everyone was silent for a minute while they digested each other person's information and put it together in their own mental images.

"Well I struck out" said Tori. "Del wasn't in City Hall when I went and the guards said they didn't know where he was or when he would be back."

Dom looked worried as he clasped his fingers together with his elbows rested on his knees. "So we have a lone gangster from the city making secret phone calls, a Mayor that's MIA and some miscommunication, intentional or not, between the Honovi members." He thought about John on his radio at the field, Del being out of reach and Shawn making shady deals behind everyone's backs. Suddenly he sat up straight with his eyes trained on the front door. "The festival."

"What?" asked Matthew.

"The festival. Think about it. If you were Del and you wanted to make some kind of deal or move some illegal substances or whatever shady business practice you're doing, what's the best way to get it done?"

"By cover of something bigger" said Diana.

"Exactly. When everyone is having fun at the festival Del and Shawn are going to sneak away, do whatever they need to do and come back just before it's time to make a speech." Dom's smile turned into a frown rather quickly and all eyes in the room moved to him. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?" asked Marie.

"We have no idea what's going down."


	14. General Calloway

Could it be related to the weed? Or maybe the food shortage? The way they have the medicine locked up? Dom tried to think of some reason Del would need a big distraction that would relate to what they already knew but he couldn't place anything. The girls and Matthew sat in thought as well but no one seemed to have any answers.

"We'll just have to go to the festival and wing it" said Marie. "We're not going to be able to figure anything out during the work day tomorrow and the festival starts like an hour after we get out."

"She's right" said Diana.

"OK then," said Dom, "everyone get some good rest. We're going to need to be sharp tomorrow."

Friday morning came quickly. Tori hopped out of bed and hit the bathroom since no one else was up, hurrying through her morning routine so she could relax a little more before they left for work. Marie was next up followed by Diana about fifteen minutes later; she liked to sleep in. They met the boys outside same as usual and went off to their work days with the promise of some fun afterward. Tori kissed Diana on the lips but lingered for a second, taking a second and a third.

"You never do that in public" said Diana, although she was smiling.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't do it enough period" said Tori. "I just know that you deserve the best."

Diana brought Tori into a hug and squeezed. "I have the best, right here. Now go to work, I don't want you to be late."

Everyone went about their normal routines at work that day, except Tori was left alone by an absent Ralph. She arrived at the store and realized the door was still locked and he was nowhere in sight, so she set up herself and ran the stand as normal but he never showed up. It worried her that he wasn't around since his health wasn't getting any better, but she didn't want to stress herself out too much so she assumed that he was just at home resting up for the festival.

When they met back up at the building after work detail Dom told everyone he had worked out a plan for the evening. It was similar to the one of the day before; try to move about the festival so they could get near to key people and listen in on what they had to say. No one expected Del or Shawn to be there so they decided to try to fish out some of the Honovi guards. You would think big dark skinned guys with long black hair and guns wouldn't be too hard to miss, but these guys were great at blending in.

They each took their time setting up for the party in different ways. Matthew and Dom played a football game on the Xbox while the girls all looked through and traded clothes and did their makeup. It seemed weird to be doing something as normal as putting on makeup, and thanks to Marie actually bringing hers with them they had a nice sense of their lives before the conflict. Marie had her makeup and hair done but she was running back and forth between her room and the others in a fury, trying to find something to wear.

Tori didn't wear a lot of makeup during her daily life since she felt she didn't really need it, but on occasions like the festival she liked to dress up as much as anyone. When she came out of the bathroom ready to go Diana looked her over in awe, almost like they'd never even met. She wore dark skinny jeans and the blue top she'd bought from Sharon's store that hung slightly off of one shoulder. Her hair hung straight over the opposite shoulder that the shirt hung off, exposing her smooth neckline. She topped it off with some light blue eyeshadow and a dab of sparkly lip gloss.

"You look amazing" said Diana.

"Thank you" said Tori, giving Diana a kiss on the cheek, leaving a little glitter behind. "I don't anywhere near as good as you of course, but I tried."

"Oh stop! We both look perfect, how about that?"

"I think that's accurate."

Diana wore similar jeans to Tori's with a dark red shirt and a thin leather jacket over top, with sleeves that stopped just short of her wrists. Her hair fell in long, loose ringlets around her shoulders in the way that Tori loved and she finished it up with some dark purple eyeshadow. Tori thought she looked really inner-city chic and she wore it really well.

"God I can't find anything I want to wear" shouted Marie from her bedroom.

Tori and Diana both laughed and went in to help her, almost tripping over clothes that were scattered all over the floor.

"This place looks worse than the block by the park" said Tori. "What have you been doing in here?"

"I can't find anything that will really impre-" Marie stopped mid-sentence and continued looking through her bags.

"Impress?" asked Tori.

"Oh I get it" said Diana. "You want to look good for Matthew, don't you?

Marie blushed and ducked her head down toward the clothes she was looking through to hide it. "Yeah? So what if I do?"

The girls dug through the pile on the bed and fished out a pastel pink sundress with spaghetti straps and a strapless bra to go underneath. Diana held it up to Marie's front and Tori shook her head appreciatively.

"Yeah, that's perfect. Go with that" said Tori.

"You really think he'll like it?" asked Marie.

"I've known the guy a while. He likes girly girls, and pink plus dress equals girly. Anyway it's a nice dress and it looks good on you, so go put it on."

They waited a few minute and Marie came out with the dress on looking as good as ever. Her blonde hair fell in ringlets over the dress straps and the green and blue mixture of eyeshadow she put on really brought out the stunning blue of her eyes. She twirled around and the dress floated up in a mesmerizing motion.

"Yeah, you look great" said Tori. "Let's go."

Tori was actually looking forward to the festival more than any of the rest of them even knew. She didn't get a chance to go to her prom since she wasn't with Jade anymore and couldn't find a date. There was a decent amount of gay kids at her school but she was still uneducated in her new sexuality, making her second guess herself when she tried to talk to other girls. She didn't know if there was some sort of code in finding another girl in a romantic way, and she worried that straight girls might think she was hitting on them even when she wasn't. All in all she really wanted to go, but fear of the unknown set her back a little ways.

After that when she started dating again she saw a girl for coffee that she had met out at dinner with her family. The girl was their server and Tori couldn't help but keep checking her out every time she came to the table, and her glances didn't go unnoticed. When Tori and her family got up to leave the girl stopped her before she walked off and handed her a scrap of paper with her number on it and a smile. Tori called her up that weekend and they went to a quiet coffee shop not far from the restaurant to talk. The girl, who's name was Ashley according to her nametag, realized pretty quickly that Tori was new to the scene and allowed her to ask all the questions she wanted. They didn't really hit it off in a romantic way since Ashley was experienced and wasn't looking to 'train' a newbie, and Tori totally understood that, thanking her for the advice and coming away with a better sense of herself.

It seemed odd that even after the world had ended, so to speak, she would be getting ready to go to a dance party with another woman. It might be years after she originally wanted to, but as they say better late than never. Tori was just happy that she was going with someone as gentle and caring as Diana, someone she could really fall into and confide in, that would really hear her and see her for who she was. She sucked in a breath and held it for a second, then let it out as she shut the door behind her.

The boys were still playing their game when the girls walked in, but they quickly shut it off when they laid eyes on the made-up ladies in front of them. Dom looked at each one of them with a smile then walked forward to bring all of three of them in for a big hug.

"I really do have the best looking family around."

Tori laughed into his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "Likewise. You and Matthew are two of the handsomest guys I've ever met."

Matthew nodded. "Sounds about right."

"I feel like a jerk for not doing anything to get ready for this. You all look so good and we're just a couple of skeezers."

"Don't worry about it" said Diana. "Boys are supposed to look stupid anyway."

Dom tucked his head down and scuffed his foot back like a bull and Diana and the other girls screamed, running for the door to avoid getting ruffed up. He picked up the two radios they had ready for the night and handed one to Matthew before clipping the other on his belt. Outside people were already leaving to head to the festival and the streets were getting crowded. They walked behind a few other groups of people up to the central drop area, looking around at the nice little setup the Honovi had put together. Del kept his promise with the radio stuff, since radios were sitting on tables at different points on both sides of the street. A central DJ area was up front next to the other tables with some different foods on them, manned of course by Honovi guards.

It seemed like most of the town was in place and about ten minutes after they arrived the guards went around and turned the radios on. They crackled to life and music started playing through them, inciting a cheer from the crowd as everyone erupted into dance. It seemed like it had been a long time since they had heard music and Tori already felt herself moving to the beat, so she grabbed Diana and spun her around towards the center of the crowd. They danced for the first two songs and Diana stopped them before they got lost in the party.

"We need to start looking around."

"You're right" said Tori. "Thanks for dancing with me."

"Anytime."

Dom and Matthew skirted the edges of the crowd, looking for anything that might be out of place while trying to make it look like they were enjoying the party. It wasn't too hard to do since they were both pretty happy to be doing something normal again instead of just working and scavenging for their lives. The music sounded good, though they still weren't sure where it was coming from, and the people around them being happy set a good atmosphere. The food tables at the front had some nice breads on them and even some desserts that Del was probably saving in the fridges of City Hall. The citizens ate and danced and some even drank, though the boys weren't sure where that was coming from either since it wasn't provided.

The sun started to go down and the party went into full swing. There was lots of dancing, singing, and most importantly, laughter. Laughter is one of those things that you don't really notice too much until it's not around anymore. Since the conflict most people hadn't had a reason to laugh and it was definitely weighing on humanity as a whole. Fact is, depression spreads under the right circumstances, and with the bad mojo from the conflict everyone was keeping each other down. After weeks of fighting, killing and stealing from your own neighbors, hearing laughter was almost funny in itself.

Tori and Diana made their way around looking for some of the guards, but they were indeed like chameleons. No one really stuck out to them as someone that would be watching the crowd, and as they circled around the back of the makeshift dance floor they ran into Cora and Sarah.

"Hey Cora, glad you're here" said Diana. "Hi Sarah."

"Hey" said Cora. "We having fun yet or what?"

"I know, right? It's a pretty awesome atmosphere out here" said Tori.

"You guys wait here, I need to go find someone" said Diana.

She ducked into the crowd and went around to the other backside, combing the edges to try and find Matthew and Dom. She picked out Matthew's white shirt from across the edge and made her way over, grabbing Dom's arm from behind him.

"Come on, I want you to meet someone."

They made their way back to where Tori and Cora and Sarah were waiting, tapping their feet to the beat of the music and watching the people in front of them dance.

"Cora, this is Dom, my friend I was telling you about."

"Really Diana?" asked Dom, running his fingers through his hair. "We're in the middle of a war with ourselves and you're playing matchmaker?"

"You should be thanking me for taking an interest in your happiness you goober," said Diana, slapping him on the arm. "I want you to be as happy as I am." She looked over at Tori and walked the few paces left between them to take her hand.

"Hi Cora. My name is Dom. I'm twenty two, single, good with my hands, an avid outdoorsman, and I like to work. I enjoy movies, late night walks and Italian food."

Diana giggled uncontrollably into Tori's neck and Cora smiled so wide it looked like her face might stay that way.

"Nice to meet you, Dom. I'm Cora. I'm twenty years old, a single mother of three children and a recovering meth addict. I used to go to NA groups twice a week before the conflict but now I'm just hoping I can stay strong for my kids."

Dom looked like he had just heard someone in his family died, and even Diana looked shocked at the news. Cora kept a straight face for as long as she could until she started cracking up, and eventually burst into laughter.

"Your face was priceless" said Cora.

Dom smirked and realized he'd been got. "That was good, I have to say."

"You have no idea how perfect you are for him" said Tori. "Really, this is already amazing."

As they talked and bobbed to the music Matthew heard a truck creep up behind them and he turned around, catching a glimpse of it right before it turned onto a side street on the other side of the building they were standing next to. John was driving but he didn't have any passengers. Matthew tapped Dom on the shoulder and pulled him aside, keeping his eyes on the corner.

"I just saw a truck pull around that corner."

Dom followed his eyes and looked around. "Did you see who was in it?"

"Yeah. John, the guard at the farm, was driving, but there wasn't anyone else in the truck with him. You think maybe he's on his way out to the fields to move something?" asked Matthew.

"I don't know, but I'd like to find out."

Dom walked down the street towards the other corner where John had turned. The girls stepped towards them but Matthew waved them back, not wanting to cause too big of a scene. The truck was parked on the side of the road but John wasn't inside, and Dom figured he must have went into the building that everyone assumed was empty or destroyed.

"I'm gonna hop in the bed of the truck and ride with him to see where he goes. You head back and keep an eye on the girls. I'll radio in if I can, but I'll have to keep it off so I don't get blown."

"You sure, bro? This is dangerous, we don't know how this could turn out."

"Well we can't just let it go at this point, and this is a good opportunity to get some usable intel. Go watch out for the girls, keep them safe. I'll be back."

Matthew jogged up the street back towards the girls and Dom hopped into the bed of the truck, covering himself with the tarp so he couldn't be seen. It was almost dark out so that was another aide in his cover. It took another five minutes before John came back out and got in the truck. He started it up and took off immediately, heading somewhere Dom wasn't aware of and could only hope wasn't that dangerous.

After they had driven for a little bit the truck pulled off onto a dirt road or driveway that dipped into a pothole, and Dom knew they were pulling into the field area. The truck came to a stop and John got out, making his way towards the barn. As he unlocked and opened the doors they creaked loudly, signaling Dom it was his window to hop out of the back and make it to cover in the tall grass where he and Matthew had watched previously. When he saw the inside of the barn he realized a car was in there already, and Del came into view seconds later. He was talking into a radio but of course the other party was unknown.

"Yes we're out at the field" said Del.

"We'll be there shortly" said a voice Dom didn't recognize, but it was definitely male.

Del moved the car from inside the barn out next to John's truck. Twenty grueling minutes later Dom saw headlights coming towards him from the road in the direction opposite town. Two vehicles, a large diesel truck, twice the size of Johns, and a luxury sedan both pulled into the driveway and the truck turned around to back into the barn. Four men with automatic rifles got out of the sedan and walked to the barn and went inside, but Dom couldn't see what was happening. He decided to risk making a move and headed closer to the barn, eventually making his way around a tree so he could see the bed of the truck.

Two of the men from the sedan and the truck driver were loading boxes onto the back of the truck, but Dom couldn't tell what they were since there were no parts visible. He watched them load box after box until an image came back to his head of the tables near the DJ center at the festival. He realized the boxes they were loading onto the truck were for food storage, and instantly Tori's conversation played back about how Del said they were set for a long time but the delivery man said they were short. Del was giving the food for Wanagi to someone else, but why?

John watched from outside the barn as the men loaded the boxes. He had the demeanor of someone that had just been defeated. Each box they loaded he shook his head and and started pacing around the driveway, and Dom realized he obviously wasn't happy with what was going on. When the men put more boxes on the truck he finally stepped inside, waving his hands and then pointed to Del.

"You can't let them take all of it, we won't be able to sustain the town."

"John you know I can't-"

"Stop whining and load the god damn food in the truck, we gotta go." One of the men interrupted Del and Del didn't look too happy about it, but any resolve he had to say something faded as his eyes rested on the gun strapped around the man's torso.

"We're supposed to be helping these people!" yelled John, flinging his arms toward the direction of town. "We told them that if they came here we would keep them safe and provide for them if they were willing to work with us, and you're standing here giving away what they're worked for...to who? Who even are these people?"

"None of your business, buffalo jockey. Alright boys, let's head back."

John's hands balled up into fists and he looked like he seriously wanted to hit the man who had just spoke to him. It was weird seeing him that enraged since he was also so calm and collected during work detail. Del walked out of the bar with the men with the guns and stopped next to his car.

"If you guys need anything else radio in."

"Yeah we got it Chief."

The car and truck both took off back in the direction they came from and John crossed the space between him and Del in an instant.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Quidel? Why would you give them everything we have?"

"Because I had no choice!" Del yelled right into John's face and the loud noise scared a flock of birds out of the tree next to Dom. "You don't know the half of it John, so get back in your damn truck and go home."

Del opened the door of his car but before he could leave John got one more word in.

"Apple."

Del turned and punched John in the face as hard as he could, so hard that he knocked himself off balance in the process. John hit the ground hard and it took him a second to come around. He shook his head and stood up, not backing down from Del's rage. Del went to swing again and John countered him, knocking his arm to the side and punching him in the ribcage. Del howled out and turned back towards John, ducking in a low run before grabbing him by the waist and tackling him to the ground. He got a punch in before John flipped him over and headbutted him, almost knocking him out cold. John got up and dusted himself off, spitting blood onto the ground next to where Del lay.

"I'm doing what's necessary to secure out future" said Del, his speech slurred like he had had too much too drink.

"No you're not, you're taking the easy way out. You're siding with the big evil instead of working yourself to get what we need. The people of Wanagi go out everyday and do their jobs. Cleaning up, farming, selling food and what do you do? You sit in your office and do what?"

"I told you. I've been trying to make a permanent deal with General Calloway so he'll leave us alone and let us live in peace."

John looked at Del with pure hatred in his eyes. He shook his head and Del made a face, similar to what one would make when they smelled something unpleasant. They tiptoed around each other for a minute without saying anything until John crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. Dom watched the whole seen with bated breath.

"Apple."

Del got up and looked like he was ready to row again when they heard the echo of gunshots in the air. A quick ring of shots, like a gun in burst fire. Both men shifted their attention towards the town and hurried toward their cars. Dom shot out of the tall grass towards John's truck and hopped into the passenger seat, almost having to will himself not to laugh at the bewildered look on John's face.

"You? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Doesn't matter right now, drive!"

John spun the truck around and followed Del back to the town. Del seemed to be in quite a hurry since he drove fast enough that he was almost out of sight within a few minutes. It was quiet in the truck for most of the drive until Dom decided he sort of owed John an explanation.

"I was out here doing the same as you I guess. I hopped into the bed of your truck before you headed out here so I could keep an eye on what was going on."

"At least someone besides me isn't blind to Del's betrayal" said John.

"Me and my group have been learning all we could for the past week or so. My brother Matthew and I were there the other day when Telly was talking to you about his sick plants."

John smirked. "You guys are good."

"We do okay. By the way, what did you mean when you called Del an apple?"

"It's a Native American slang term for other Native Americans, like you might call someone like you white trash or something. It means that person might be Native American but they don't act like it, or they do something against their tribe; red on the outside, but white on the inside."

Dom couldn't help but appreciate the Native's symbolism. "How long has Del been like this? Since the beginning or just lately?"

John was going to answer Dom's question but before he could they laid eyes on the scene in the center of town, and both of them were too shocked to speak. Two large Humvees blocked the road ahead of them with guards in front of each, and the same mirrored on the other three sides of the square. John parked his truck behind Del's car and they got out to walk in, but the guards stopped them in their tracks.

"We live here," said John, "we were just out at the fields."

The two guards looked at each other and the one on the right nodded. The one of the left patted each of them down and when he was satisfied they were non-combatant he waved them in. They saw another ring of guards inside, weaving through the edges of the crowd. Dom led them to where Tori and the rest of the group were when they left but they had moved somewhere else. He pulled the radio from his belt and signaled Matthew who answered right away.

"Dude where are you? You gotta get back here now" said Matthew.

"I'm here, I'm where I left you guys. Where are you now?"

"Go to the right and follow it around a bit, we're closer to the DJ center."

Dom waved John on and they made their way up to where Matthew and the rest of the group were. They all looked very surprised to see John with him but no one asked any questions. During the time he had been gone the town center area had been turned into a mini stage, the radios were all shut off and the DJ center had turned into a little platform with three people on it. A tall, muscular man in a black suit with a buzzcut stood in the middle of two men in US Army uniforms, both holding automatic rifles. Dom looked to John and then to Matthew, and they both shook their heads in disbelief.


	15. The America We Knew

They kept watching and finally Del made his way up front, greeting the man on the stage before moving to the side so the man could stand center and address the people.

"Good evening, everyone. I'm very sorry to crash your little dance party here, but it has come to my attention that this place needed a visit. For those of you who don't know me, I'm General Calloway. I'm the leader of the New American Army, or NAA for short, and this town is part of the Calloway Republic."

All of a sudden Dom felt queasy. They were stuck in the middle of a huge crowd, surrounded by militia members with automatic rifles, and boxed in. Matthew held Sarah in front of him as the General talked, since she seemed to be afraid of his booming voice. Cora turned around and made eye contact with Dom, and the look of fear in her eyes killed him inside.

"What does that mean?" someone from the crowd yelled.

"That means this town, everything in it and the land it is on, is owned by me now. The US Government has fallen, and in the wake of an every-man-for-himself race for power, I had the resources to stand out."

"Why are you here now and how come we haven't heard of you?" someone else asked.

"Well that's a very interesting question, and it's actually the reason why I'm here. You see Del, your lovely Mayor, has been working with me since day one to get this place off the ground. This land was once owned by the Honovi and he wanted to see it back to health." Calloway started pacing back and forth across his platform as he spoke. "I heard his story on the radio as did many others, and when he started getting things together I sent someone here to keep an eye on things for me."

At that moment Shawn was brought out to the stage, led by two guards on either side of him. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place the picture of what happened came more and more into focus by the second. Dom stepped forward and pulled Tori and Diana behind him, and Matthew and John took note, doing the same thing. The three of them stood in front and formed a barrier in front of the girls, human meat shields in case things started to get ugly. And with Shawn, a militia General and Del in the picture, it probably would.

"You son of a bitch!" someone yelled from the crowd, a woman towards the front. "I knew there was something wrong with you!"

Dom realized it was Connie that was yelling and for some reason he felt proud; the fact the someone, a regular citizen, was brave enough to yell at these people in front of everyone, was something that made him feel good about being human again.

"Now now, I won't tolerate behavior like that in my Republic. There are children present at this event. If you can't control yourself miss I will have you removed."

Connie looked livid but kept her mouth shut, most likely out of curiosity of what the man had to say more than anything else.

"OK then. I'm here because, as I mentioned before, this land belongs to me. Del used my resources to get this town started, with my blessing. I gave him food and water. I supply this town with power from my plant that's being maintained by my men. By all rights, this town is mine. Yet still, even with all of my generosity, Del doesn't think it important to mention me to you? His own people? I find that a little insulting."

The guards around the edges of the crowd stopped moving and stood at attention, holding their rifles in a poised-to-strike position. Dom tapped Matthew and John and nodded his head towards them, making sure they were aware of what was happening.

"General I was going to te-"

"Oh shut up Del, you weren't going to tell them anything. You were just going to hope that we could continue with our little secret meetings and that you would just get all the glory for the safe haven that is 'Wanagi' didn't you?"

"Is this guy telling the truth, Del?" The crowd was starting to get involved in the conversation, asking questions to figure out what was going on.

"Well you see I did use his resources to get this place going but I've been working to build it up from the beginning. He didn't do any of the legwork, he just offered supplies. And I've been-"

"You've been what, Del?" John yelled from his spot. "Sitting in your office while the people of this town work their fingers to the bone for scraps? Giving our food to the militia yet telling the citizens of the town that we're flush?"

A chorus of "what?"s and "are you serious?"s rang throughout the crowd. People were starting to angry and the buzz could be felt easily.

"I've been providing them with kickbacks from our stocks, yes, but I did it because General Calloway said he would provide security for us against other outside forces."

"Now hold on Del. Yes, I did say that, but I didn't tell you to clean out your inventory, did I?"

Del was getting visibly flustered and started stammering as he talked. "Now you're twisting things up here Calloway, you know what we discussed-"

"Are you calling me a liar?" General Calloway's question was asked in such a way that Del's face turned pale and he backed up a couple steps.

"What about the weed Del? Is that for them too?" John asked.

"What weed?" asked General Calloway. "You've been growing marijuana on my land without my knowledge or permission?"

Del looked like he was going to throw up if he opened his mouth but he answered anyway. "I was going to get some of my runners to distribute it in some of the outlying areas in trade for food for the people here since most of our stocks were going to you and your men."

The crowd was getting uneasy. No one knew who to believe or what was true and what was partially true but twisted. They couldn't make up their minds on whether Del was on their side or not and the stress of the situation was starting to show. Some of the people in the crowd were getting antsy, starting to move towards the back and the guards up front were getting itchy in the trigger finger.

"Shawn," said the General, "if these people were growing marijuana how come I didn't know about it? Did you forget why you're here?"

"No I didn't but I-"

"He was smoking it himself and selling it to people around here" said Marie, startling everyone around her. Dom turned his head and Marie pushed past him, eyes on the General. "Him and his little gang have been terrorizing the people of this town ever since they got here."

The General's face was calm and collected, but there was something about his posture in which you could tell that he was beyond angry. He was getting downright murderous every time someone new spoke and revealed something about this place that he didn't know. The soldiers swept the crowd over and over, looking for the first sign of a situation breaking out, but the crowd was still miraculously holding together.

"Is this true, Shawn?"

"Sir I can explain-"

The General pulled his gun and shot Shawn in the head right in front of the whole crowd. The gunshot echoed off the buildings and rang in everyone's ears, and the split second between when Shawn's body fell to the ground and the crowd starting to panic seemed like an eternity. Everyone started splitting in different directions, screaming and pushing and running to get out of the area as fast as they could. The General made a waving motion over his head with his right hand, and that's when the bullets started flying.

Screams continued to rip through the air as people moved with abandon, tripping over each other and pushing and shoving to get where they wanted to be. Men pushing women, women pushing children. The horror of it all was it seemed to move in slow motion for Tori. She was being pulled backwards at one point when she saw a young boy, probably nine or ten years old, get trampled under feet by at least a dozen people. She pulled towards him to try to help but whoever had her was stronger and she couldn't get free. Tears poured down her cheeks as the last image of the boy crying and getting kicked burned into her eyes and killed a part of her soul. All of the fear and anger was pressing really hard on her chest and stomach and it was all she could do just to keep moving forward.

The soldiers at the edges pushed people back to try to keep them contained in the center circle. Dom stopped the group and looked around for a way out, and John ended up point towards the direction they came in from. People had started to break free in that zone and soldiers from where they were started to move that way to help contain, leaving a small window for the group to get out. As they moved in that direction they saw some of the civilians shooting back at the soldiers. Apparently, some people had scavenged some weapons during their time in town and weren't afraid to fight back.

The General stepped off of the platform and over Shawn's body as he casually walked to the right side of the crowd. His soldiers kept him well enough soldiered that he didn't even feel the need to pull out his sidearm as he walked. Hundreds of people were screaming and getting killed in front of him by dozens of people with automatic rifles and this man looked like he was taking a walk in the park. Dom felt himself getting angry at the General's lack of empathy, but there was little he could do in such a dangerous moment.

The group made their way to the edge of the crowd but what they found shook them all to the core. At least two dozen bodies lay piled up against the Humvees blocking the road out. It was like people figured if they swarmed hard enough that they would eventually get to the soldiers, but thirteen rounds per second, from eight soldiers sweeping side to side, was enough to take down all of them and then some. Diana's hands covered her mouth and Tori's covered her stomach. The pain from everyone around her was crashing so hard on top of her that she thought she wouldn't be able to make it out alive. Dom laid a reassuring hand on her back and Diana grabbed her hand and held it tight. They ducked away from the soldiers up against the wall to huddle and try to make a plan.

"We gotta find a way out of here" said John, looking over his shoulders to keep an eye out.

"We need to stay away from the people that are shooting back" said Matthew. "They're the ones that are going to get us killed. If we just sit tight and wait this out I don't think they'll kill us."

"What makes you say that?" asked Marie.

"We have a functioning town here. If he kills all of us he loses workers that produce things for him, like all of our food that he has now."

"If this guy is as powerful as he says he is then I'm sure this town doesn't mean much to him" said John.

As they were talking more bullets started flying, coming as close as five feet from them. A spray ripped through the bricks of the building they were standing against and any plan they had in the works was thrown out the window. A scream sounded from near them and Diana was the first to see a soldier that took a bullet to the neck. Blood sprayed out of the side like a showerhead and the man fell off the car, but his killer was dead as well before his body even hit the ground. The group inched up closer to the wall as people were still dropping left and right until a dramatic shift to the left occurred.

Some of the citizens had broken through the left flank and were pouring out into the street towards City Hall. Dom crouched and ran along the building to the other side to see what the situation looked like. Three soldiers lay dead in the middle of the intersection about ten feet from where he stood, and the other soldiers from his flank were engaging combatant civilians on the other side. Dom waved the group on and they tried to sneak around the corner unnoticed, but the wave of people that were on the right had seen the same opening and them and thundered towards it in numbers.

The soldiers switched sides and began firing into the crowd storming them. A women tried climbing over the larger man in front of her and ended up taking a bullet to the shoulder, and Marie was standing so close that the blood spattered onto her face. She spit out the bit that had gotten into her mouth and ducked lower, hoping they might be able to squeeze around the side of the main group. They nudged along the wall until the got the corner, and Dom put up his fist to stop their progress. He tried to assess the position of the soldiers to how many people were there and how far it was to cross the street, and in the middle of his calculations more gunshots ripped through the crowd right near them. Sarah screamed and ran forward into the street out of fear and Matthew jumped out to grab her, taking her by the waist and pulling her back towards the building. As he turned three bullets ripped through his back and he fell forward, pushing Sarah towards Dom so he could get her out of harm's way.

Marie tried to run out into the street but Cora and Diana both grabbed her and held her back. She struggled against them as hard as she could, kicking and screaming as tears fell down her face and stained her shirt with little gray droplets. Diana wrapped Marie up in a bear hug and turned her away from the street so she couldn't see Matthew anymore and Cora grabbed Sarah, scooping her out of the way of the opening to the street. Dom knelt down and reached out to Matthew and Matthew reached back but they were too far apart. A soldier saw Dom sticking out from the corner of the building and lobbed more bullets in that direction so Dom hit the ground, lying on his stomach so the bullets would go overhead.

More people pushed into the barricade and after a bit of a fight they broke the rest of the way through. Dom still lay on his stomach, looking his younger brother in the eyes as the life drained out of them. As soon as he realized the soldiers were down he jumped up and ran the few steps out into the street, bending down to tend to his brother's wounds.

"Hey Matty, stay with me buddy. We're gonna get you out of here."

Matthew coughed and blood spurted out of his mouth, covering his white shirt even more than it already was. "I'm not goin' anywhere Dom, you know that as well as I do."

"Come on now don't talk like that. We're gonna get you somewhere safe and-"

"Dom listen to me" said Matthew, cutting into his brother's speech. "I'm dying, I can feel it." He coughed again and more blood came out.

Dom felt something wet and looked down to see the huge pool of blood underneath Matthew's body that had started edging around his hands and knees. He put his hands together like he was going to put pressure on the wounds to stop the bleeding but Matthew shook his head.

"It hurts too much."

"I have to do something Matty, I can't just sit here and watch you die."

"Then don't." Matthew's eyes faded and his blinking got slower. His eyes started to roll back in his head and Dom couldn't control his shaking. "Get out of here and keep fighting the good fight."

"Come on Matty, fight it. Please. I can't do this without you." Dom had tears for the first time in as long as he could remember.

"Take care of them, Dom. Look after Marie for me, make sure she stays safe." The last part of his sentence was cut off with a raspy cough and the words turned to mumbles, and then Matthew was gone.

Dom flashed back to his parents' funeral. He remembered walking outside and finding Matthew standing by himself in the grass next to the funeral home, tearing leaves up into small pieces and throwing them into the wind. He looked up when Dom came towards him and continued on with what he was doing. They stood outside like that for maybe a half hour, wordlessly enjoying the fresh air and the breeze. The inside of the funeral home was stuffy and full of people that were almost dying themselves to tell the boys how much their parents meant to them or stories about work's Christmas party a few years back where they got drunk and did Karaoke. Neither of them wanted to hear any of that stuff and they naturally ended up going to the same place. They had made a pact that day that no matter what happened they would stick together. They were all they had left in the world as far as family went and they would protect and provide for each other as long as they were able. Now it was just Dom, and the world felt like a much lonelier place.

A minute later Dom was rudely pulled back into the action as he remembered where he was and what was going on around him. He stood up and faced the group with tear-streaked cheeks and Marie crumpled to the ground at the sight of him. Dom walked straight over to her and picked her up, not rudely but gently, and tucked his finger under her chin so she would look at him.

"With his dying breath he told me to make sure you were safe, and I intend to do just that."

Marie hiccuped herself back into a semi-lucid state and nodded her head. Dom didn't want to leave Matthew's body in the street but he didn't have a choice at the moment. It was too dangerous to get around alone, much less with one hundred and forty pounds of dead weight. While he looked around for a direction for them to go in someone on the other side of the intersection had gotten their hands on a bottle of alcohol and made a Molotov cocktail. They lit it and threw it under one of the Humvees that blocked the exit on the other side, and almost immediately the Humvee exploded in a giant fireball, lifting several feet off the ground.

The power of the blast threw everything back against the wall and Cora hit her head trying to protect Sarah. She wasn't seriously injured but she was washy on her feet, something that Dom and the rest would have to be careful of if they needed to sprint. After the explosion all of the soldiers in the area were trained on the man who threw the cocktail so Dom finally made the call for them to run. He picked Cora up in his arms and Diana took Sarah's hand as they ran across the street towards City Hall. When they got to the other side Dom checked up by the DJ setup and saw what he imagined he would. Del, the General and everyone else were gone.

The next step was to find a place for them to rest and be safe. Tori looked down the stretch of the fence they were next to and realized there was a space that they could squeeze into and maybe check out some of the buildings on the other side of City Hall. She tapped Dom on the shoulder and pointed and he shook his head, setting Cora back onto the ground and helping her get her bearings before they took off. He made a last minute decision and ran forward to the spot where the soldiers were shooting from and grabbed all three of their guns before turning around and running back to the fence.

They scooted along the edge of the fence until they reached the end and Tori looked around as point, laying eyes on an old looking building with a sign in front of it she couldn't see. She trekked up to it and noticed the sign said 'Public Library' so she waved everyone else forward, looking around her as they made their way for the door. She ran up the stairs and tried the handle to find, with a deep breath of relaxation, that it was unlocked, then helped file everyone in before shutting the door and locking it from the inside.

It was dark so Tori tried the light switch, happy to find out that the power still worked. The downstairs area had reading room with a few couches and a bunch of chairs so Cora took Sarah to a couch by the window and laid her down, covering her up with her sweater. Tori sat down on a couch not far from the one Sarah was on and Diana crashed next to her, leaning into her side with a sigh of exhaustion. Marie came in a little slower than the rest of them and took the end cap of the couch Tori and Diana were on, chewing on her thumbnail and not making eye contact. Dom laid the guns down on the table between them and took one of the chairs while Cora took the one next to it.

"I'm sorry, Dom" said Tori. She didn't say anything else because she knew with Dom that nothing else needed to be said.

"Thanks, Tor."

"What do we do now?" asked Cora. "We're a group of mentally and physically exhausted kids in the middle of a war zone with a child to look after and nowhere to go."

"First we sit tight here and wait it out a bit" said Dom. "I highly doubt Calloway wants anything to do with libraries at the moment so we'll be safe here. If a small squad does show up," he pointed to the table, "we have weapons."

Each person took the time to close their eyes and relax for a few minutes. It was terrible battle zone etiquette, but they had been through so much and they were so tired, that they couldn't help but get just a few minutes of rest. Only half the lights were on in the library and it was dark outside now, so the mood lighting was enough to put everyone to sleep, but the constant threat of death outside the door was enough to keep them from falling deep.

Diana buried her face into Tori's side, amazed to find that after all of that she stilled smelled like herself. That faint vanilla perfume and fresh fruit smell that she always had and drove Diana wild was still apparent but just barely. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes tight, remembering back to when she couldn't sleep during the days between when they'd met and when they went out for the first time. So many things had changed in such a short time it was important that they reflected on their memories to keep from losing who they were before their world ended.

Tori thought about her parents and all of her friends back home in L.A. She wondered if they all made it, and if some didn't, who was the most likely to survive. Of course, freak accidents were always a possibility so she couldn't be really sure, but she liked to think they all made it anyway. She thought of her sister and how she didn't care if Trina was mean to her or not, she just wanted to see her again and be able to give her a hug. There were so many things she liked about being on her own, and the one fear she had before leaving was that she wouldn't be surrounded by family anymore in case she needed them. But that day, she knew for sure that the people in that room with her were family for life.

Marie couldn't get her mind off of Matthew's body in the street. She had always kind of liked him, but she put up a front and had that sort of fake catty relationship with him as a way of keeping herself from pursuing him since she didn't want to get rejected by him. He was best friends with Tori and so was she, so by association they saw each other and hung out a lot, and a rejection would make things awkward. She thought of how she missed all that time that they could have spent together, and for him to be ripped from her arms so quickly and unnecessarily was something she felt she would never get over.

Cora was confused about a lot of things, but she wasn't confused about the people she was with. With her it was just like it was with Diana; she came in a little late to the party, but she fit right into the family no problem. The whole thing with Shawn kind of had her mind on edge, knowing that someone she was so close to at one point could do such awful things. Then seeing him killed like that in cold blood in front of a bunch of people? It wasn't right. Even though Shawn wasn't a good person he didn't deserve to die like that, and Cora felt for his loss even through her anger.

Dom was the same he had always been, except with a huge hole in his chest. From the beginning of their journey it was him and his brother against the world with the help of a ragtag team of commandos on the side. But now, his brother was gone, and he was all alone. His parents had gone and they survived that together, but now that his brother was gone, who was he supposed to turn to? He felt like turning to Marie was cruel since he reminded her of him and he didn't want to put too much strain on Tori, who looked like she was feeling worse for wear lately. So in the end he figured it would be the same as usual. He would bear the brunt of everything and keep it to himself like he always did, fighting the good fight from the front lines and taking chances no one else would without complaining or expecting anything in return.

"The America we knew is gone" said Dom, staring down at the guns on the table. He picked one up and popped the clip out to check the ammo, then slapped it back into place and cocked it. "But that doesn't mean we can't make a new one that our parents would be proud of."

"Where do we go?" asked Marie. "You heard Calloway. Everywhere around here is his."

Dom stood up and looked out the window as he spoke. "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" asked Tori.

"The only way we'll be safe again and be able to live a normal life is if we take back what's ours and set it up properly. And I'm willing to fight til the death in the name of my brother towards that end."

Tori nodded quietly. "I'm in."

"Me too" said Diana.

"Count me in" said Marie.

"I'm in too" said Cora, looking over at Sarah sleeping soundly on the couch.

Dom looked proudly on every face in the room. They truly were his family, not just words he spoke to them in times of need, and he meant it now more than ever. With Matthew gone they were going to need each other even more and he was glad he had a group of people he could trust his life with to take on the next part of the journey. It wouldn't be easy, and they might all meet an untimely end, but they wouldn't have it any other way.


	16. Epilogue

The new group, short one and plus two, had fallen asleep in the sanctity of the library, dead exhausted from the day's events. Diana was the first to awaken so she got up slowly, making sure she wouldn't wake Tori up, then grabbed a rifle and and made a quick round of the library. She checked out the windows but couldn't see much since it was past midnight. The streets looked empty and dark aside from a few small fires that still burned from the chaos, and an awkward twist of her hips reminded her that she'd gotten a little beat up in the escape. No one had come looking for them at the library and even though it was quiet no one really wanted to sleep, but they couldn't hold it off forever. They were still dangerously close to where the action went down so to lose their guard was risky. Diana walked as quietly as she could and checked the upstairs and downstairs, and when she was satisfied they were still alone she returned their resting area, then laid the gun on the table and sat back down.

As she sat she looked in front of her to where Dom was sitting, meeting his open eyes in the dim light from the moon. He smiled weakly and she returned it in kind, knowing that he must be a wreck internally, though he would never show it. Boys were always worried about being tough for the people around them, not showing any sign of weakness so the people they led would feel safe in their care. Fact was he was human just like the rest of them so he didn't have to show any sort of emotion for Diana to know how he felt, but she wouldn't pressure him to talk if he didn't want to. They both scanned the room in silence, listening to the slow, rhythmic breathing of their friends. It wasn't often they got to rest even on the road, so they would let this sleep go on for as long as they could.

A few mostly restless hours later the sun started to rise a bit, dusting the room in a faint purple-orange glow. Dom stood up and as he did all of his bones cracked from being contorted in the chair all night. He tried not to stretch too much since the loud cracking echoed off the walls in the silence of the open room. Diana looked up again and when they made eye contact Dom chuckled silently, hoping he hadn't woken her with his premature arthritis. He grabbed one of the rifles from the table as she had before and made a round, but this time Dom went outside to check the grounds around the building since there was some light. He stayed low and moved quietly, unsure of who was still in the area. There weren't any immediate signs that the army was still in town but that didn't mean they weren't, so once he confirmed they were still safe in their hideout he went back inside and returned to the group.

Tori had woken up and was sitting with her eyes closed as she ran her fingers through Diana's hair. It was in pretty rough shape since the bathroom essentials they had access to were few and the stress of the previous night made it all tangled and knotted. She could smell her perfume still but just barely, and the state of their clothes was mediocre at best. Her jeans were ripped and her shirt was stained with dirt and blood. Most of them had blood on their clothes, Sarah being the odd one out. It was getting into mid-May, and the weather was at a steady decent temperature for the time being, but summer would be upon them soon. Tori made a mental note to go take a look at Sharon's store and see if it was still open, or if Sharon was even still in town.

It had only been a short time since the violence broke out in the town center the night before, but it would only take a short time to flee the town in a hurry. Nobody had been out to explore and see the aftermath of the explosions but they all figured that anybody with sense was most likely gone already, or working on getting their things in order to leave that day. It was terrible to think that a town that seemed to be running so well would go under within two months, but the reality of their world was even more harsh than it had been before. It was always dog-eat-dog to some extent, but now there was true anarchy. Police forces didn't exist, fire departments were disbanded. Hospitals were empty and government officials were nowhere to be found. If someone really wanted to kill another person for their belongings, they could, and nothing would happen to them for it.

By the time the sun came up everyone was awake. Cora sat on the floor next to the couch and talked to Sarah. Dom and Marie checked the guns to make sure everything was in working order and Diana and Tori stood out on the porch for a few minutes, surveying as close as they could to the City Hall fence to see if anyone was around. It looked like some of the cars from the lot were missing, which meant that some people had definitely fled the area. They reported this news to Dom who didn't seem at all surprised. He cocked a gun and handed it to Tori, then another and handed it to Marie, and saved the last for himself.

"The three of us are going to do a quick sweep of the area and see what we can find" said Dom. "I want the rest of you to stay here and stay away from the windows, just in case. If we're not back in half an hour, head towards our apartments and we'll meet you there. If you hear shooting, get down and stay down until it stops." He headed for the door and stood by it with his gun held across his chest.

Tori checked her gun over and looked towards the door, then over to Diana. "I'll be back soon, okay? Keep a close eye on the area, we might spook some people if they're near here."

"Be careful" said Diana.

"Always."

Tori kissed Diana briefly and brushed a hand on her cheek, then headed straight out the door with Marie in tow. Outside the town was eerily quiet. No one was within sight as they moved down the tight alley they had escaped through the night before, and Dom stopped them when they came to the spot that Matthew had died in. Blood stained the pavement where he lay, unmoving and lifeless. His white shirt was mostly red and he was surrounded by casings and shrapnel. He closed his eyes for the shortest of moments before remembering that Marie was behind him, and for the first time in a long time he really had no idea what to do or say. They had to face reality that parts of their group wouldn't make it, and he knew they knew that, but the reality of loss was much greater in front of you than in thought.

The road was chunked up pretty bad from the Molotovs and gunfire, so they had to be careful where they stepped so they wouldn't roll an ankle. Dom looked down at the stained asphalt and paused for the space of a breath, then waved the girls forward. He turned around and waited for Marie to walk up to him and when they met face to face, she kept her eyes on him instead of what lay beyond. Her eyes filled with tears and Dom took a deep breath, then held his arms out towards her. Tori kept watch around them while they stood and held each other for a few moments. Marie sobbed silently into his shoulder, her whole body wracking with each rattled breath. She remembered after a moment what they were out there for and regained her composure, reseating her gun in her arms.

They cleared the north area then backtracked to the east, working on circling around the back of the library before coming back up from the west. The bodies that had fallen from the outburst all still lay where they fell and the horror of it all was right in front of them, in plain view. Men and women, and even some younger kids sprawled out over the road, some with their eyes still open and most covered in so much blood it was hard to tell who they were. More than probably eighty percent of the casualties were townsfolk, but there was a decent amount of Calloway's men as well. Dom stopped and scooped up a couple more rifles and slung them over his shoulder, pointing out the rest of the guns to the girls so they could acquire the clips of ammunition. None of the stores in the area were open, which didn't really surprise anyone, but there didn't seem to be anyone anywhere, and Dom didn't think it seemed plausible that the whole town could evacuate that quickly. Although, he figured, if anything was to get people to move quickly, it was a cutthroat General with an army that will shoot without question.

When they reached the back street of the Library and City Hall they took a right. The park where Shawn and his gang hung out was off to the left but no one was there. The park itself seemed even more desolate than it had before, which was pretty unnerving seeing as the place always kind of weirded most of them out. Tori took the right wing while Marie took the center of the road and Dom ducked off to the left. They checked all of the alleyways and spaces in between houses, checking all the windows as they passed by for any signs of light or movement. At the last turn Marie stopped and flagged the others down, then nodded towards the house she was standing in front of. Dom nodded Tori off around the corner to check the rest of the street while he walked over to Marie to find out what she'd seen.

"I saw some shadows in there" said Marie, looking towards the windows by the front door.

Dom crept forward with his eyes locked tight on the window. "Are you sure? The sun is still rising, could be a trick of the light."

"I'm pretty positive. I'll go check, you can stay here." Marie jumped forward and headed straight for the porch but Dom caught up and seized her wrist.

"You can't just charge head first like that." He turned so Marie's back was to the door, that way he could talk to her and see the house at the same time. "I know you're kind of spiraling right now because of everything that's happened but we can't afford any mistakes."

A shadow shifted in front of the window to the right and Dom's eyes locked on to it. He stepped to Marie's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with her while he watched, then took a few steps towards the steps. "Let's go check it out, together."

They went up the stairs at each others' side then split off left and right. Marie stood on the left between the door and the window while Dom ducked forward to the right window. He leaned forward slowly and cupped a hand around his face so he could better see inside when a sudden movement and a loud crash knocked him backwards. Someone inside had thrown a glass candle holder through the window and hit Dom square in the mouth. The glass cut his face and his lip had a pretty sizable gash in it, blood dripping in earnest onto the porch. Marie moved quickly, opening the door with her gun still trained ahead. She kicked it wide open and immediately ducked, sweeping the room from a low center of gravity in case someone tried to charge her. Two shadows moved from the living room to another part of the house in a hurry while the one near the window cocked back its arm, and Marie charged forward at the last second to miss the hurling projectile. She knocked the person over and shoved the barrel of her gun into their chest, then ripped the curtains open to get some light into the room.

"Who are you?" she asked in a loud voice.

"Please, don't hurt me" the voice replied.

"Pretty big request from someone that just busted my friend's face open" said Marie.

"I was just trying to protect my brother and sister, I swear."

Dom entered the house a moment later and pulled Marie back a step so he could get a look at the person. It was a young girl, probably twelve years old. Marie kept her gun on the girl even though she looked innocent enough. If there was one thing they'd learned in the past couple months, it was that you couldn't trust anyone in the state the country was in. Truthfully, you couldn't really trust anyone before the collapse. The chaos and lawlessness only served to make things worse for everyone, but especially for regular law-abiding citizens. The girl stood up and when she saw the blood on Dom's face she winced and looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, but I couldn't tell if you were a soldier or not."

"It's okay" said Dom, resting a hand on her shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Jessica."

"Well Jessica, are there any adults around?"

Marie stepped towards the door and walked out onto the porch to keep an eye around them and see where Tori was. Dom took a knee in front of Jessica while scoping out the conditions of the house. It wasn't trashed but it was obviously worse for wear. It looked like it hadn't been properly cleaned in a while, and there were blankets and small toys all over the floor like they all stayed in one place together.

"Our mom died in the town square last night when everything went wrong. I wasn't sure what to do so I brought my brother and sister here and figured I would wait a little bit and then see if I could find Del or one of the guards."

The sight of the little girl and her siblings reminded Dom vaguely of the kids in the store that Matthew had told him about, and how guilty he felt about leaving them there. He wondered if the kids had managed to survive in the store, or if they'd gone somewhere else. God forbid someone with less than noble morals had happened upon them. The two smaller children sat in the back of the front room with a few toys in their laps, playing idly while they watched their sister talk to the strangers by the door. Dom was faced with the same decision his brother and Marie were faced with before, and he wasn't sure if Marie would be able to make the same choice twice.

"Grab your brother and sister and come with us, we'll figure something out" said Dom.

Marie watched him out of the corner of her eye as he watched the kids get ready. She felt a bit of relief that she wouldn't have to leave these kids like the others, but the guilt she felt before came back and doubled. The image of Jonny and his brothers swam to the front and she felt her bottom lip quiver. She knew what some people would say; the world had turned into a harsh place really quickly and there was no room for weakness. Matthew would have told her that they could survive anything as long as they didn't lose their humanity in the process, and humanity meant feelings. All of them. Jonny's birthday was coming up soon, she just wondered if he'd be alive to celebrate.

The kids grabbed their things and waited for Dom to make a move. He looked down and saw the small teddy bear in the little boy's arms, holding on for dear life like he wouldn't be able to carry on without his pal. He smiled at the innocence and ruffled the little guy's hair.

"Alright, let's get back to the house" said Marie. "They're probably wondering where we are."

"Sure thing" said Dom.

Back at the corner where they'd split Dom eyed Tori coming towards them, sweeping in small circles with her gun as she walked. She held up a flat palm, hailing that everything was clear, then crossed the street to rejoin them. She tilted her head curiously at the kids and then looked back and forth from Marie and Dom, waiting for one of them to explain what was going on.

"We found these guys holed up in a house" said Marie. "We couldn't leave them there so we scooped them up, hoping maybe we'll be able to find someone left in town to help them out or something."

"OK" said Tori, waving to the kids. "My name is Tori."

"I'm Jessica, and this is Haley and Erik."

Tori took Erik's hand to walk with them and when he looked up at her he smiled hugely, making her almost tear up. The group walked back to the Library and headed inside to find the others. Diana was lying on the big couch while Cora read Sarah a book. They all looked up when everyone came inside, their looking mimicking Tori's when she first saw the newcomers. Diana got up and headed to Tori's side, wanting to give her a big hug to show she was happy she'd returned unharmed. Tori inhaled the scent of Diana's hair and stayed in that moment for a second, glad to shut out the craziness of the world, if for only a short time.

"Everyone get set up to head out, we're leaving in five" said Dom.

"Where to?" asked Diana.

"We're going to head back to the apartments and grab our stuff, get it all situated by the door and have someone guard it while someone else, probably myself, goes to look for a vehicle we can use to get out of here."

"How are we going to fit all of us and our stuff in a car?" asked Cora.

"I'm not sure yet" said Dom, looking around at everyone. He suddenly wished Matthew was there to help him solve this issue. "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

Jessica introduced herself to Sarah and the two of them chatted away while they played with the other little kids. Cora, Diana and Tori rounded up all the guns and ammo they had and did a little inventory while Dom and Marie swept the place one last time for anything potentially useful. When everyone was all set they hit the pavement, heading towards the apartment building that they lived in for such a brief time. Bodies still lay in the street in some spots so they tried to shield the little ones, having them walk on the inside away from the road. They noticed some people they'd known during their stay. People they had worked with or talked to on lunch break, kids they had watched play soccer in the alleyways. Loss was a big part of their existence, but one they never got used to.

As they approached the apartment building they noticed signs of life. The shades in a lot of windows had been pulled down, alerting them that some people had survived but didn't want to be seen for fear of being robbed or killed. The building itself looked untouched as far as the battle went, which was a good sign. Hopefully none of their things had been looted in the craziness. Dom led the way into the building and brought Jessica and the girls in with him, hoping that the power still worked so they could watch a DVD while the rest of the group gathered stuff. He restarted the movie they had watched a couple weeks before and told them to sit on the couch and wait, which they did peacefully.

Tori and Diana headed to their place and began packing their bags, glancing cautiously out the window as they worked. No one was out roaming the streets, but there was definitely a good amount of people still around. They hid in their apartments or some of the nearby houses, hoping maybe if they gave it a day or two General Calloway and his army would be gone and things would go back to normal. Tori knew better, though. This town was finished as far as the safe, prosperous feeling they had when they had first arrived. She wondered silently if there were other towns out there that had started like Wanagi, hopefully towns that weren't being controlled by sociopaths with power. If there were they would eventually find one.

"How do you think we'll pull off getting all of us out of here?" asked Diana.

"I have no idea. I wish I knew what Dom was thinking."

"Me too, I don't think we're going to find something big enough to fit all of us, and even if we do, what are we going to do about gas?"

Tori finished folding the last of what little clothing she had left and zipped up her bag. "We'll have to see what the plan is and agree on something when we get down there."

As they finished with their belongings a loud crash sounded from the hallway. Tori flung the door open in worry that something had happened to one of their group but as she did, the door across the hallway shot open as well and hey eyes met Dom's wild ones. They looked both ways until they saw a shocking yet particularly amusing sight. A man was being pushed out of an apartment a few doors down, yet he wasn't wearing any pants. He stood there in his underwear looking at whoever had pushed him through the door, pleading with her to not go through with whatever was going on. After a minute or so Tori heard the woman say something about infidelity and she almost laughed. In the midst of a country wide meltdown, where people were literally killing each other for supplies to survive, this couple was having a fight about cheating. Dom put his hands on top of his head and huffed out a breath, chuckling involuntarily. He hiccuped it away and smiled at Tori who was covering her mouth, trying equally as hard not to laugh.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Dom.

"Just about" said Tori. "Are we taking everything down?"

"Yeah, let's get it all together."

Everyone pitched in to carry the bags down and stack them by the door. Dom looked around the immediate area for a minute while the group gathered around him. He counted nine of them. They would have trouble fitting the five adults in a car, much less with four kids. The bags piled behind them were enough to fill the back seat on their own, and Dom started thinking they wouldn't be able to pull it off. He looked to Diana and nodded his head sideways in a motion to call her over. She walked to his side and crossed her arms softly, looking back at everyone.

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm thinking we're going to need two cars" said Dom. "I'm not even sure if we'll be able to find one, and if we do find two that work, I'm not sure how we'll gas them."

"You think all the cars at City Hall are gone?" asked Diana.

"I'd say so, but we can go check." Dom stepped forward and held his hand up to call attention and silence. "Diana and I are going to go check City Hall for vehicles. The rest of you stay here and guard the bags, have fun, talk, whatever. We'll be back soon."

Tori held a hand over her heart Diana did the same as she turned to walk away. Cora waved at Dom and he smiled back at her. As the two of them crossed the street and headed towards the parking lot of City Hall Diana took a deep breath and let it out slowly, swinging her arms back and forth in a lazy way. There was a lot she still had to explain to Tori, much less letting the secret out to the rest in the group. She was sure they would want to know something like that but she was also unsure of how they would react. They might be scared of what she could do, and that's something that could potentially tear the group apart, and that's the last thing she wanted to do. They turned a corner and Dom scanned the tops of the buildings, looking for he didn't know what. Diana figured if anyone would cut her a break it would be him. He was always so understanding and positive. Her real worry was Marie. She seemed to be okay but they didn't really click like she did with Tori, and since she won't understand what's going on with the magic thing she'll probably be afraid of it and want to protect her friend. That was all worry for another time though.

As they came upon City Hall they noticed that the parking lot was indeed mostly bare, save for a truck and two cars. One of them look pretty beat up and, no surprise, Tori's car was gone. They walked up as carefully as they could, checking all around them to see if anyone was watching, and inspected the vehicles. The truck was in sound shape and was unlocked, but there weren't any keys around. The car that wasn't beat up was locked and the other had keys up between the visor and the roof. Diana started it up and while it sputtered a bit, it roared to life and idled somewhat steadily. She smiled and looked over at Dom who was taking the bottom of the steering column out, probably to try and hot wire.

"I've seen my dad do this before but I'm not really sure how it works."

"I don't know, we can probably figure it out together, though" said Diana.

She turned the car off and walked over to the truck, taking a look down at all the exposed wires. She had no idea what she was looking at but she also knew they needed the vehicle, so they would have to figure something out. Dom worked at it for close to half an hour before he looked up in frustration, gripping his hands around the steering wheel til his knuckles turned white. They needed to get out of the area as soon as possible. General Calloway might come back and try to salvage some things from the town, or worse, bring in soldiers to occupy it for a while, and Dom wasn't sure they would be able to get out at that point. He looked through the windshield at the buildings on the horizon, trying to think of a way they might be able to get the truck started when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I've seen this on TV before, let me give it a shot" said Diana.

"OK, give it a whirl."

She played with the wires for a minute while Dom watched, unsure of what she was trying to do. She hoped she could make it seem like she at least knew some of what she was doing, but from Dom's stature and odd glances he wasn't really buying it. He shook his head and turned around, and that's when she struck. Diana took 2 wires and twisted them together for looks and then gripped all of them together. Then, with her eyes closed, she concentrated her energy into the wires for a few seconds until the engine roared to life. The noise made her jump and yelp a little, causing Dom to spin around quickly with a look of worry.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, the noise just scared me a bit. This thing is pretty beefy."

"Hell of a good job, Di" said Dom. "I'm gonna make sure everyone knows you were the one that saved us."

Diana blushed shut the door. "I'll take this since I'm already in it, you can take the car."

"OK."

The two returned to the apartment building in their vehicles, inciting applause from the rest of the group. Tori beamed proudly at Diana as they pulled up to the curb and parked. Marie and Cora both started grabbing bags with smiles on their faces, laughing about how Diana was in the big truck and Dom was in the little car. Everyone grabbed a bag and they tossed them all into the bed of the truck, stopping for a bit of water when everything was ready to go.

Cora passed her bottle to Sarah and ran her fingers through her hair. "We're going to need a tarp if we can find one. We don't want to be traveling with our bags in an open back with no cover."

"Good call" said Dom. "I don't remember seeing any around here but we'll hit a nearby town on the way out and look."

"I guess we're going to need to split people up" said Tori. "How do you propose we do this?"

Diana looked back at the truck and then to Tori. "The truck isn't a king cab so it'll only fit three, four if we really pack people in." She scanned the group and make a quick chart. "I'll take Tori and Marie in the truck, and then Dom can take Cora in the front seat of the car and the kids should fit in the back fine."

"Sounds good to me" said Dom, opening the passenger door for Cora. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure" came out from Marie and Cora at the same time, and the kids seemed happy to be together. Everyone packed into cars until Dom and Diana were the last ones. They stood next to each other in the street next to their doors, looking up at the building they were about to leave.

"Any idea where we're going?" asked Diana.

"I figure we'll go south, and then east. The further west you go the worse it gets, so we need to start back tracking."

"Sounds good, I'll follow you."


End file.
